Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has disclosed that opposition assaults compelled him to return to school to get a degree.
Adeleke made this disclosure whileaddressing graduates at the Adeleke University’s 9th undergraduate and 5th postgraduate convocation ceremonies in Ede, Osun state, on Sunday, where 75 postgraduate and 537 undergraduate students received various degrees.
The governor claimed that after losing the gubernatorial race in 2018, he was exposed to the most heinous personality attacks and assaults.
He went on to say that he had to flee the nation to avoid being attacked and to finish his degree programme after his elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, urged he finish his study or give up his bid for governorship in 2022.
Adeleke said that age should not be regarded as a barrier to achieving educational goals, stating that one of the criteria imposed on him prior to his 2022 gubernatorial aspiration was that he complete his schooling.
He stated,
“Dr Tajudeen Adeleke encouraged me to move ahead. Before I went on exile, he called me to a meeting where we discussed. He told that I should look at what I have been subjected to by those saying I was not educated. He advised that I should go to (United States of) America for studies.
“He said the only thing I can do for Osun people, if I am ready to be governor, I must get educated, I must complete my education; that without completing it, I should forget my governorship ambition.
“At my age then, I successfully re-enrolled and completed my degree programme. I am proud of that achievement and I thank my family and friends for their total support.
“I came back to re-contest in 2022 as a brand new graduate. The rest is now history. What is the lesson? Our age must never be a barrier to educational pursuit. What we need is commitment and passion to succeed.”
Dr. Deji Adeleke, the university’s founder, stated that if Nigerians are determined to transform the country for the better, it is possible.
He urged Nigerians who want a better country to give their fair share to nation-building and to avoid blaming those in positions of authority.
cc: Vanguard Ng
