● Looks for education that frees the mind, rather than one that induces fear
At the weekend, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who leads the Senate, called upon federal, state, and local governments, along with corporations and philanthropists, to significantly increase their investment in education. He argued this would foster the creation of future global billionaires and renowned brands.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central, pointed out how both established and developing countries across Asia, Europe, and North America utilized education as an effective means for socioeconomic change to achieve their respective goals.
Following the conferment of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree upon him during the 29th convocation ceremony of Ekiti State University, which took place over the weekend on the university’s main campus in Ado Ekiti, he proceeded to make those calls.
Yesterday, Bamidele was honored along with Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, and the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Bank of Industry, Dr. Mansur Muhtar. This brings the total number of honorary doctorates Bamidele has been awarded to three, spanning from January 2003 through March 2025.
During his speech at the convocation, Bamidele highlighted the importance of education in driving the socioeconomic progress of countries across the globe. He believes this educational advancement is crucial for achieving developmental objectives and overcoming severe challenges.
He particularly noted: “By quality education, I refer to an educational experience that frees the mind; one which significantly reshapes entire generations and provides access to countless opportunities in every field.”
In this light, education serves as an invaluable resource that both advanced and rising nations across the globe have utilized to reach their current position. We, as a society, also possess this same instrument in our quest for national ambitions.
Bamidele emphasized that achieving substantial socio-economic progress in every sector necessitates “not just fostering a conducive atmosphere, but also ensuring high competitiveness so our country can stand out on the global stage.”
It also requires intentional public investment in our youth, and we must take action immediately. Undoubtedly, this necessitates consistent and strategic backing from various private sectors that generate global brands and billionaires.
This is the proven framework that yielded successful individuals such as Elon Musk, who leads both SpaceX and Tesla; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon Inc.; Mark Zuckerberg, co-creator of Facebook and Instagram; Larry Page, CEO at Google; Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., among numerous others.
It’s now time for us all to utilize the power of high-quality education to create our own global billionaires and brands. However, this can’t be achieved through mere luck or coincidence, but rather through meticulous planning and relentless execution of these strategies.
“We might fail to reach our goals unless we reassess our national priorities and significantly invest in human capital. Fundamentally, education that frees minds is the sole solution to achieving our aspirations. The sooner we begin investing more effectively in our citizens, the better off we will be as a union,” he stated.
Consequently, Bamidele urged both public and private entities to revisit their approaches; contemplate this message and reaffirm our commitment to invest more substantially in individuals. This sentiment ought to be a crucial aspect of the key lessons we draw from this historic assembly.
During his speech, University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ayodele Joseph listed several initiatives spearheaded by Bamidele for the institution. These included building accommodations specifically for medical students—both male and female dormitories—as well as constructing a small sports stadium and an FM radio station.
Ayoadele also highlighted several significant contributions made by the university’s alumni over the past year via targeted connections and interventions, pointing out various initiatives that the senate leader helped facilitate for the benefit of the university community.
He expanded Bamidele’s contributions to encompass facilitating the building of separate hostels for male and female medical students, constructing a small sports complex within the campus grounds, and also organizing the donation of an FM radio station from Senator Bamidele.
The vice chancellor additionally pointed out that the institution’s success could be attributed to an increase in the monthly subsidy for the university, which was raised from ₦260 million to ₦410 million per month.
