On Saturday July 27, Ibadan was agog during the graduation ceremony of class of 2024 of Crown Heights College and commissioning of a hall in memory of the founder’s late father. The elitist private secondary school was founded by an advert executive turned school administrator, Prince Gbadebo Adeyeye. The Ekiti born United States trained educationist, in this interview by ROTIMI IGE, stressed that the best legacy one can bequeath a nation is qualitative education for its future generation of leaders, a testament to the popular cliché that an educated nation is a prosperous nation.
From your resume you studied advertising in a University in America. At what stage did you conceive the idea of dabbling into education?
I made the reality clear years ago that in our modern days, it is not really strange as it has been done many times. There are many great people in the world who were not educationists but became partakers in the sector. All they care about is to contribute to the future of the younger population of our society, which is very important and nothing is more important than that. For me, it was a long dream that came into reality in 1997. I remember when I visited these premises with my brother, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye and others back then, it was a thick forest but I was on a mission and that didn’t scare me. I swung into action and today, to God be the glory, we are 27 years old this year. I am happy about the successful trajectory in nurturing, training and moulding tomorrow’s leaders. In a moment like this, nothing is more important in our nation than to provide quality education for the young population of our society and I am happy that I am contributing my own quota.
Can you recall your mission statement when it was established and can you confidently say it has been achieved?
I remember my early interviews at the inception, that education shouldn’t be a money-making venture but an avenue to mould and shape character of our students. I can confidently say that we have achieved that. Our mission and dream were (are) to produce a visionary leadership with an all-round education. Not just in academics alone but morally and also academically upright. Over the last 27 years, the school has surpassed the expectations and has even overachieved its mission statement. Today, all the products of the school are high flyers occupying various positions in the corporate and academic world both locally and internationally. One of them once held a pharmaceutical session in one of the ivy league teaching hospital in Europe. My children were born in the United States but had their secondary education at Crown Height College here in Ibadan. By the time they returned to the States for tertiary education it was smooth sailing because the quality of education received at Crown Height College not as children of the founder (because here at CHCI no preferential treatment) they were able to integrate back into the US educational system and today they are excelling in their various fields just like the other wards that have passed through this citadel of learning. Many of them are doctors, engineers and each time I see them, I feel much, much better than millions of naira in my bank. In summary, impacting lives, nurturing leaders of tomorrow is my greatest achievement.
The state of education is comatose. As an educationist, aren’t you worried?
Well, if I tell you I am not worried, I am just deceiving you or myself. Everybody is worried, at least anybody that has good education, any progressive mind should be worried now because we are not in the right place. The country is not where we supposed to be, not only in education, in all areas but we are talking of education here and I think we need to wake up and do what is right for our people and our great country.
I think education should be prioritised and as said earlier, in a moment like this, nothing is more important in our nation than to provide quality education for the young population of our society. James Madison said many years ago that, “A popular government without popular information or a means of achieving it is a tragedy. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance and people who want to be their own governors must arm themselves with power that knowledge is. This is the reason while Crown Heights College remains committed to its founding mission since 1997 to provide our young men and women in the society a conducive environment where they can be well educated without any compromise and without fabrication.
What’s your advice for the graduate of class of 2024?
Well, I rejoice with the class of 2024, I rejoice with their parents and their guardians. There is no better moment than this to remind them that no matter what Nigeria’s situation is today, the future of our society is still bright. They should not lose hope. And that bright future does not belong to the Yahoo leaders, the bright future belongs to them. And that is why they must take their role from today. Seeing them succeeding after six years of mentorship under the tutelage of experienced teachers is overwhelming. As I emphasise that money is not the only achievement that we are expecting, personally, that is not the motivation. The motivation for me is to see these students growing well, doing well in all areas. So, they are joining the successful products that we have already released to the society.I pray that the Lord Almighty will continue to guide them in their journey of life.
How do you think these students can be engaged to see life beyond the confine of four walls of the classrooms?
I think the guest speaker at the convocation ceremony and former Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku dived extensively into this while addressing the valedictorians that the future is great, do not be afraid, only believe. “Young men and women, let me assure you, no matter what you read about Nigeria and hear about Nigeria and most of the time especially now when what you read is negative, 90 percent of what you read about the country is negative, and I am worried for children that are growing up like you, when you read newspapers and see what is going on in our media concerning our country, even adults, parents are despairing about the future of our country. Every day you hear one negative story of one and other.
“And so, when you are preparing to leave school in this kind of atmosphere, where there is this seeming clout of dishonesty, you ask yourselves, “My other siblings are still at home, they have finished from university, there is no job and, of course you cannot move forward. There is a sense, some kind of feeling or discouragement that young people feel about this country.’
The point is that there is greener pasture anywhere and everywhere if is well nurtured. They belong to great country called Nigeria not because of what it is now but because of what I see it becoming and because of my memory of history. He said the mentality must change because the best place for job creation is the private sector and they should start thinking of making productive contribution to make Nigeria truly great. So like Mr. Labaran Maku, I am optimistic that the future is bright if the right mechanism is put in place.
Why did you decide to name the school hall after your father, the late Oba David Opeyemi Adeyeye, Agunsoye II.
My father, the late Oba David Opeyemi Adeyeye, Agunsoye II, Arinjale of Ise-Ekiti (1932-1976), was a great king indeed, one of the greatest monarchs that has ever been produced in the history of Ekiti State. In the history of Ekiti, he had the privilege of being the chairman of Pelupelu, which is the highest level of traditional rulers, in 1942. He was revered and he was great. This is my token of appreciation to immortalise his memory.
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