Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has revealed that opposition attacks compelled him to return to school to earn a degree.
Adeleke made this revelation while speaking 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 governorship election in 2018, he was subjected to the most heinous personality attacks and assaults.
He went on to say that he had to flee the country to avoid being attacked and to finish his degree programme after his elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, insisted he finishes his education or gives up his bid for the governorship in 2022.
Adeleke advised that age should not be regarded as a barrier to pursuing educational goals, stating that one of the conditions imposed on him prior to his 2022 governorship ambition was that he complete his education.
“Dr Tajudeen Adeleke encouraged me to move forward,” he said. He summoned me to a meeting where we discussed my exile. He advised me to consider what I had been subjected to by those who claimed I was uneducated. He advised me that I should go to America for studies.
” He said the only thing I can do for the Osun people if I am ready to be governor is to get educated and complete my education; 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 pursuits. What we need is commitment and passion to succeed.”
Dr. Deji Adeleke, the university’s founder, stated that if Nigerians are determined to change the country for the better, it is possible.
He urged Nigerians who want a better country to contribute their fair share to nation-building and to stop assigning blame to those in positions of authority.