By Elizabeth Osayande & Ifunanya Ndigwe
Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has lamented the present state of training in Nigeria, saying that the nation is “paying a heavy worth” because of the neglect of its faculties, which he described as “damaged” and “underfunded.”
That is simply as he emphasised the important function foundational training performs in shaping future leaders.
Osinbanjo, who spoke on the theme: “Constructing generational power for academic establishments in Nigeria,” was the visitor lecturer on the 94th Founders Day celebration of Igbobi School, Lagos on Monday.
Reflecting on his personal experiences, Osinbajo shared, “The self-discipline of waking up at 5:30am and the ‘lights out’ guidelines in secondary faculty, that really constructed nice leaders.”
“The habits that maintain adults are shaped at school, not improvised later in life.”
Based on him, the roots of efficient management lengthen past authorities places of work; they start a lot earlier, including, “By the point a toddler turns 18, their moral instincts are already possible shaped.”
Whereas emphasising the necessity to put training heading in the right direction, the previous VP opined that company our bodies, outdated college students and different well-meaning people have roles to play to enrich authorities’s efforts.
“Many nice establishments are backed by giant endowments that maintain their operations for many years. Endowments are extra in regards to the potential to propagate a worldview, sure requirements and values that we maintain pricey. Extra instructive is that a lot of the funds have been donated by outdated boys of these faculties, together with pals and households of the outdated boys.
“Each critical nation or society confronts the identical query: what is going to outlive us? Igbobi School made a transformative distinction in our lives. It was constructed by an endowment from missionaries, Anglican and Methodist church buildings, cash raised from their members. Though the college fees charges, these charges are for providers provided. We have been beneficiaries of an endowment by two missionaries who subsidised not simply top quality training but in addition created an ethical, moral and civic atmosphere that had formed our personal outlook, our moral sense and our integrity,” he mentioned.
Reflecting on his private tutorial journey, Osinbajo recalled his youth on the prestigious Igbobi School from 1969 to 1975, the place he obtained quite a few awards, together with the State Benefit Award and the African Statesman Intercollegiate Finest Speaker’s Prize.
Prof. Osinbajo concluded with a profound reminder: “Each funding in a college is an funding in the way forward for the nation. Our early leaders didn’t emerge by chance; they have been formed by faculties that have been intentionally protected against volatility.”
In the meantime, the Igbobi School Outdated Boys’ Affiliation (ICOBA) has launched an formidable ₦10 billion Endowment Fund aimed toward revitalising the college and guaranteeing its legacy for the following century.
Chief Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, the twelfth President of ICOBA, introduced that the fund can be used to construct new hostels, improve science laboratories, and introduce superior studying applied sciences.
He gave the reassurance that the administration of the fund can be within the fingers of execs from Chapel Hill Denham to make sure accountability.
“We don’t need anybody to ‘use the cash anyhow,’” he said firmly.
Badejo-Okusanya urged alumni to contribute, and challenged all members to think about future generations, simply because the founders did in 1932.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented on the occasion by the Commissioner for Fundamental and Schooling, Hon. Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, expressed authorities’s assist for initiatives like ICOBA’s fund, noting, “When a college like Igbobi produces disciplined people, it helps the federal government get monetary savings on social issues and strengthens the management pipeline for the nation.”
He remarked that high quality administration of infrastructure, like roads and bridges, is contingent upon having principled leaders, reinforcing the significance of the ₦10 billion fund to take care of the college’s legacy.
The occasion included a lecture chaired by Mr Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, who clarified that an endowment represents a dedication to transitioning from “short-term intervention to long-term institutional stability.”
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