Lagos Deputy Gov, Others Seek Overhaul of Secondary Education to Begin Nigeria’s Renaissance

Uchechukwu Nnaike 

Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has called for massive collaboration among all stakeholders to reform secondary education in the country.

He stressed the need for collective efforts to ensure that graduating students are equipped with relevant skills to meet modern-day needs and challenges. 

Speaking during a fundraising and award ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, Hamzat, who was the guest speaker, observed that the country’s education system is not evolving as much as the societal challenges it is meant to solve.

According to him, no country can ever hope to rise beyond the quality of its education system, just as he described secondary education as the cornerstone and training ground of leadership and “the phase where sense of responsibility is introduced and entrenched.”

The deputy governor, who is an alumnus of the school, identified major barriers to ensuring a future-focused secondary education system, including outdated curricula, infrastructure decay and collapse of established cultures, values and ethics of the olden-days schools that set them apart as great citadels of learning and character formation. 

He said some of the missing values are resilience, accountability, civic consciousness and the discipline required to lead selflessly and courageously.

“We need to rethink, reinvest and re-imagine secondary education, as this must be the new chamber of leadership formation and innovation lab to foster environmental and entrepreneurial mindsets to lead Nigeria’s renaissance,” he added.

He identified the essence of the Olivet Baptist High School’s 80th anniversary celebrations as its generational impact, as seen in the multi-dimensional contributions of its products to national socio-economic development.

“As we celebrate Olivet’s 80-year legacy, we must recognise that its greatest achievement is not in the number of students it has produced but in the quality of leadership, service, and societal transformation those graduates have delivered,” he stated.

The President of the Olivet Baptist High School National Old Students Association, Dr. Wale Okediran, said that the school has, over the years, carved a niche as an epitome of excellence in academics, sports and humanity. 

Okediran said, “It is on record that through 80  years of development, great changes have taken place in our dear old school. Apart from setting the pace in many aspects of educational pursuit in Nigeria, our school has produced many outstanding old students of whom we are proud. The number of students has largely increased while cadres of a younger generation of well-trained teachers have been replacing the older ones and taking leadership positions in the school. 

Chairman of the Anniversary Central Planning Committee, Dr. Olusegun Ahmadu, appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to revive the boarding system in Oyo state. 

“The boarding house system is a vital pillar of quality secondary education, yet its absence has caused a decline in standards over the years. As we celebrate Olivet’s 80th anniversary, we ask for your support in restoring this institution to its former glory, complete with boarding facilities. This step is crucial, not only for Olivet but for reviving the golden era of secondary school education across the state. 

“Olivet’s readiness is self-evident, as demonstrated by the calibre of its alumni. Your excellency, we urge you to sanction this return starting today,” Ahmadu said.

He added that the reunion is a moment to felicitate and reflect on shared history and a clarion call to contribute actively to Olivet’s continued growth.

He, therefore, called on all stakeholders of the school to participate in all efforts to restore it to its glorious status, saying that the journey towards such glorious restoration requires all alumni to unite and rise to the challenges that lie ahead.