How Igbobi College shaped my personality, value – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said there is a strong connection between the kind of education students acquire and what they eventually become later in life.

He said this at the 90th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner of Igbobi College, organised by the Igbobi College Old Boys Association (ICOBA) on Saturday night at Eko Hotel.

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Prof. Osinbajo, who is an old student, said his personality and values were shaped at Igbobi College, Yaba in Lagos State.

He hailed the college for laying a foundation for the nurturing of leaders who had left indelible marks across different fields, impacting many generations.

He said, “Who we are today, our personalities, values were all shaped at Igbobi College. It was in Igbobi I realised that I had a strength in the Arts, it was also there I realised that I could never be a sprinter or footballer. It was obvious at that point. In my Form 1, Mrs. Erushade, my class teacher taught us to write essay every week and the best was posted on the notice board.

“For the first two weeks, Dapo Ali’s essay was declared the best, as it was neat and had the right punctuation marks; then she said, there was one that was very imaginative, though wasn’t as neat and doesn’t have the right punctuation marks; she read out my essay and everyone clapped. So, instead of one essay on the notice board, there were two. The best essay and mine; that encouragement stayed with me and gave me so much confidence going through school from then on.

“It is important to mention that the role of teachers is so crucial to what we become. I never forget that what Mrs. Erushade (now late) did at that point made a whole difference in my perception of myself and my abilities and how I eventually turned. I watched some of my senior debate and I knew I wanted to debate, so I debated for the school also,” he said.

Also present at the occasion were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; past and present leadership of ICOBA, representatives of the school owners (Anglican and Methodist Churches), Captains of Industry, representatives of other Old Boys and Old Girls associations among others. It was a moment of re-union.