Governor Dapo Abiodun’s academic controversy raises critical questions about leadership integrity, youth inspiration, and education in Nigeria

A few weeks ago on my way to Ibadan I drove past a secondary school in Iperu where paintings of several icons dotted the fence.

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The objective was clear, the management wants the school children to be inspired by the many giants and men who have accomplished something in life with the education they acquired.

Some of the paintings had the picture of Mr. Dapo Abiodun (hun!!!), the Governor of Ogun State, Professor of Letters and Literature Wole Soyinka, former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba (Engr.) Gbenga Daniel, FNSE, FNAENG and deservedly Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State and a host of others.

My mind raced back to my years in the primary school, and the song we used to sing “Bàtà mí á dún ko ko kà, Bàtà mí á dún ko ko kà, bí mbá kà’wé mi, Bàtà mí á dún ko ko kà.”

Ours is a society that places premium on education, integrity, industry and enterprise. Our childhood was exciting and most of our earlier trainings were rooted in learning by rote and lessons taught in songs.

“Je Olotito, je Omo rere, Jesu fe ki gbogbo wa, je omo rere” was used to teach us the values of integrity and honesty and expectations of the society from us.

We were taught why we should respect our mothers with “Iya ni Wura iyebiye, ti a ko le f’owo ra, Oo l’loyun mi f’osu mesan, oo pon mi f’odun mefa…”

I must confess I had a nostalgic recall of those prime years of tranquility where we had less to worry about security, or even poverty.

As far as we were concerned our individual parents were the richest, because we were less exposed to the competitions and contests of luxuries.

The leadership of the community was determined by honesty, generosity, courage, integrity and wisdom. They celebrate personal achievements and successes only if you could justify the source. But, Time has changed.

While reliving the nostalgic moments, a few days later, news of the consolidated graduation ceremony at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta went viral and I also saw Mr. Dapo Abiodun, in the hood of Academic Gown as Visitor to the Institutions.

My mind became restless again trying to deconstruct the sanctimonious interpretation of wearing a graduation gown with which we have been weaned and the contradictions involved in this.

We were told in those years that the wearing of these gowns is a symbol of accomplishment, having been trained in “character and learning”.

And this was usually a solemn moment for us because the experience carried with it a sense of spiritual or ecclesiastical feeling of piousness.

Matriculation gowns are usually separated from graduation gowns, which means it is not all those who wore the “matric” gowns that would wear the graduation gowns.

We were told (I have never witnessed one), that a student at the point of expulsion is made to wear the graduation gown which is also symbolic of having completed his or her education through bad character.

But essentially the solemn ceremony at graduation was also designed to inspire undergraduates to also wish to one day wear these gowns.

Seeing Mr. Abiodun in an Academic Gown therefore send me back to the less impressive interview that he granted a Channels TV reporter a few years ago, where he claimed the discourse around his educational Qualifications is a matter before the court.

In what many interpreted as a deliberate sidestep of his career integrity. I then ask myself if Mr. Dapo Abiodun can indeed be an inspiration to any younger generation.

I would have thought the management of institutions displaying his image and showcasing him as a symbol of academic excellence would require him to first clear the air on this academic qualifications issue.

Dapo Abiodun can only inspire students to short circuit knowledge and live on falsehoods as he cannot inspire to the values of excellence and integrity as long as he was not forthcoming on the real schools that he attended, parade his school mates, and show to the world his certificates.

Several official records and citations of his have been read at public fora, claiming academic excellence in some institutions of higher learning to which he is now living in denial.

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Should our society continue to reward and returning characters with doubtful identity with leadership positions and what manner of lessons do we expect our children to pick from his kind.