.. Isola, Others Hail Abeokuta Club Over Osoba
Daud Olatunji
Former Ogun State governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has revealed why his administration stopped government sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages between 1999 and 2003.
Osoba, who spoke on Sunday, in Abeokuta during his investiture as a Vice Patron of the Abeokuta Club alongside Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, said he could not justify spending public funds on religious pilgrimages while public schools were in dire condition.
The former governor recounted that he met a disturbing state of education when he assumed office, with pupils compelled to take desks from their houses to school and many brilliant students unable to register for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) due to poverty.
According to him, those realities compelled his decision to halt government funding for pilgrimages and redirect the money to provide school furniture and pay WAEC fees for all public-school candidates.
He said: “when I came in, I was upset that children were carrying desks from homes to schools.
“A lot of brilliant students could not sit for the West African Examination Council, WAEC, because their parents could not afford it.
“That was why I told them that instead of spending money on pilgrims, either Christian or Muslim, let me stop that and use the money to construct desks.
“And that was when I started paying. I paid the WAEC fees of all the students. So whether your parents were able to pay the WAEC fees or not, the government took care of the payment of the WAEC.”
Osoba also urged present and future governments to adopt continuity as a governance principle, saying the absence of sustained policy implementation has been a major setback to Nigeria’s development.
He further appealed to Nigerians to embrace farming as a national survival strategy and called on governors to invest more resources in agriculture to tackle food insecurity.
Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, described the honour bestowed on Osoba, as a fitting recognition of his enduring service and influence.
Isola who spoke with newsmen after the investiture, said the former governor’s commitment to public service did not end when he left office.
“As governor, he played a significant role, and even when he left office, he is still taking interest in the service of the club,” he noted.
Isola described Osoba as a “colossus,” stressing that recognition from one’s home community carries exceptional significance.
“The honour at home is what we all cherish, no matter the honour you have received outside, because it’s usually said that a prophet is not honoured at home,” he said.
He added that the latest honour was both a commendation and encouragement. “When you are honoured at home, it’s a way of saying, well done, you are doing well, please do more,” Ishola submitted.
Earlier, the Life President and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Abeokuta Club, Prof. Afolabi Soyode, praised Osoba and Osunkeye as illustrious sons of Egbaland whose leadership records justified their elevation as Vice Patrons.
Soyode said the club was honouring “two men, two legacies,” adding that both leaders had demonstrated “impact, discipline, noble service and unwavering commitment to society.”
He described Osoba as “a towering figure in journalism, a pathfinder in the national media, and a statesman whose footprints in governance remain indelible.”
The club expressed confidence that the new Vice Patrons would continue to offer guidance, mentorship and support toward strengthening its heritage and community impact.
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