They thought it was impossible – Monarch provides free education for students for more than 10 years
10 years after starting Abolarin College in Oke- Ila, Osun State, the Orangun of Oke-Ila and proprietor of the school, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, opens up on the challenges of setting up the school, his dedication to providing free and quality education for poor but brilliant students and prospects.
Excerpts: What informed your decision to start a school of this nature?
The Lord Almighty directed me. I say it all the time, I didn’t go to school to be a king. I didn’t wish it for myself and for me to be here is ministerial. When I came here from Lagos and Abuja to be the Orangun of Oke Ila-Orangun, I saw poverty and a lot of children on the streets, who were brilliant because I engaged them in conversations. In 2017, I travelled to Tanzania and saw a school in Rumoto. The environment was like Oke-Ila.
I interviewed some students and one of them said he wanted to be like Julius Nyerere. I was wowed. I thought they were using the school to prepare another Nwalimu. I cannot sleep in Oke-Ila without doing anything. I don’t like being told that we cannot recreate the likes of the late Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe or Tafawa Balewas in this time. It means we are not doing what we are supposed to do. When I returned home, I consulted some educationists and we started brainstorming. Along the line, I told them I was not collecting a dime from the students and they told me it was impossible. In 2014, we started with 35 students and to the glory of God, we managed.
A lot of people can’t understand but we managed.
Do you receive any support from government, whether at the local, state or federal level?
I started this school when my friends were governors, Rauf Aregbesola and Kayode Fayemi. I discussed it with the two of them. Aregbesola supported the school, I have records, likewise, Fayemi supported the school. But as for government, there has been no support yet. A two classroom building was facilitated by Senator Olusola Adeyeye when he was in the Senate. When he got here, he couldn’t believe what he saw. He promised to donate a building and to the glory of God, he did it. Femi Fakeye also donated a building to us at the most appropriate time, when we needed to move from a building.
These and many other friends of mine have been very supportive. One of my friends, Lanre Laoshe, has been supporting us in the last five years with laboratory equipment. Also, former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewale, and his ’78 set of the University of Ibadan do not joke with us. We thank God for their support. We have reasons to thank God.We have a lot of people.
I have a list of about 100 people. We must have a brochure of those people who had assisted us and are still assisting us.
So far, how many students have passed through this school?
We started with 35 and presently, we have about 125 former students out of which about 85 are in universities. 25 are in private universities. We have about 135 students. We went to Babcock University to collect their unused books, their wears and everything. The most important thing is for us to get results and we are getting results. Do you assist your students to make good results? We don’t cheat here. We can’t. We don’t cheat here. That is our philosophy. When you get to the exam hall, you are on your own because we are preparing them for leadership.
How do you intend to sustain the school?
Basically, the missionary work is based on the rules of God so that will sustain it and I just pray that I live long. I am growing old too and the energy is no longer there, but I see the future in these children. It is their property. I am not the owner of this school. The ownership is the Orangun Abolarin Aroyinkeye Foundation.
It is not Oba Adedokun Abolarin. As regards the instrument of establishment, I think we changed the Board of Trustees slightly. By the time they graduate, there will be one or two of them as members of the Board of Trustees. It is their property. When I am no more, I wish they can build an estate for my biological children so they won’t suffer in vain because I abandoned them.
How did you abandon them?
I abandoned them because I was living in Abuja, practising law. My son, who is in the House of Assembly, Dr Kashope Agbolahan, at the time, cried, he said I am a wicked man. He said Daddy, where are you going and started crying. I started crying too but given the urge that I must be here and the assignment given to me by God, I had to leave and today, we thank God. Can you clear this misconception that only children from Oke-Ila are allowed? No. You are free to interview them.
They are from all over the country, Borno, Cross River, Plateau, Enugu, Anambra, Benue, Ife, Ila and Kwara among others. What are the criteria for enrollment into the school?
Basically, they must come from the public school system because you know the kind of children we have in the public school system. There is this assumption that they don’t have brilliant children from the North, but my children from the North are brilliant. It is a misconception.
They are determined to prove all of us wrong that Kabiyesi we are going to defeat your people here and tell the whole world that Northerners are brilliant. We heard that you teach in the school… We don’t remunerate our teachers, and it pains me. They are missionary workers but the Lord will pay them as many times as possible. They are missionary workers. I call them missionary workers; they have been working for the last 10 years. I also use NYSC members who are posted here. Do you have quarters for them? No, we have a place for them that they manage. We don’t have the best of everything but the little that we have, we maximize it. That is why we need massive support but we do not beg. Cognitive training and physical training There is nothing you can be teaching them (children) by 5 pm, they will move away from that and go to the field. Some of them have the ambition of playing football later in life. They have to do something before that. Some of them play volleyball, some chess and some scrabble. You are also a friend of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi… No, I am not his friend. He is my father. In terms of education, does he reach out to you? Kabiyesi Ooni does not joke with us. Kabiyesi will just send two big cows, and bags of rice at random. He is always asking for the children’s well-being.
He has been here physically and taught the children an appreciative song, which they sing at some occasions now. Do you foresee a situation where retired professors and retired teachers will do pro bono service here? Doing a pro bono here will be good. We don’t mind but we want people who can create leaders from these children. We think of the future. Sometimes, people ask me what my gain is. I tell them I don’t need one. Seeing the children makes me happy. Education is a win-win thing. In the next 30 years, by God’s grace, these children will be everywhere. They will be doing very well and I know they are coming back here. I tell them that this is their property and they are coming back. They may turn this place into whatever they want. Our core value here is kindness and responsibility. People have taunted me a lot. Some even said I want to turn the place into London overnight. Out-of-school children in Nigeria are becoming a problem.
What do you think government at all levels should do?
It is problematic. That is why we are doing what we are doing. Some of the children came from crisis-ridden Northeast states. For me, every stakeholder must do his or her bit to tackle the problem. Even private schools should always do corporate social responsibility by helping the poor brilliant students to be in school. Government should encourage the establishment of a school like ours in all local government areas in Nigeria. It should be championed by private individuals who are passionate about the future. Is there a school farm? We don’t buy most of our raw food items. To the glory of God, in the last two months, we have not bought semo. We have varieties of semo powder, and Amala powder, which is homemade. They work so hard because they know there is no free lunch. I want them to know what it is to use their hands. They must be hardworking and creative. They must be able to think critically. I tell them that it is through the toughness of the environment that you exist.
