Why I went back to school in 2018 – Gov Adeleke

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has advised Nigerians not to let their age prevent them from achieving their educational goals. He claims that completing his degree was one of the requirements set forth before his bid for governor of the state in 2022 was approved.

On Sunday, Adeleke delivered a speech at the Adeleke University’s combined 9th undergraduate and 5th postgraduate convocation ceremonies in Ede, Osun State, where 75 postgraduate and 537 undergraduate students received various degrees.

The governor claimed that after losing the 2018 governorship election, he was the target of the worst personality attacks and assaults. He added that in order to escape the attack and finish his degree programme, he had to leave the country after his older brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, insisted he must do so.

He said, “Dr Tajudeen Adeleke encouraged me to move ahead. Before I went into exile, he called me to a meeting where we discussed. He told me that I should look at what I have been subjected to, by those saying I was not educated. He advised me that I should go to America for studies.

“He said the only thing I can do for Osun people if I am ready to be governor is that I must get educated, I must complete my education, and 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.”

In his remarks, Dr Deji Adeleke, who is the founder of the university, said if Nigerians resolved to change the country for the better, it could be achieved.