The Òràngún of Òkè-Ìlá in Osun State, Oba Adedokun Abolarin has explained why he ventured into running a free school for indigent children in a recent interview with BBC Yoruba Service
The monarch is the Founder of ABOLARIN COLLEGE, OKE-ILA-ORANGUN, STATE OF OSUN, a school set up to fight poverty through education and strictly for indigent students in Nigeria.
He said in the broadcast that he arrived at the decision when he discovered that it does not make sense not to give equal opportunity to children irrespective of their background because according to him their background is not their fault.
“It just happened that they found themselves in such background”.
He noted also that children that are not trained will become a danger to the ones that are trained adding that efforts must be made to give all children an equal opportunity.
A lawyer by profession, Oba Adedokun who teaches government in the school said he feels a high sense of fulfillment being a blessing to the children who are drawn from across the country. “I don’t know how to sell or do business but I love to teach. And I thank God for the grace to impact lives. I teach government in the school and all the nine students I taught in the last WAEC came out with wonderful results.”
He said Nigerians needed to come together to make Nigeria great again pointing out that “We are the government, not only those in the place of power”
On how he gets the students he said, “The first criterium is that they must be indigent students. They must be from poor homes. Many of them are orphans and those who don’t have anybody to sponsor them. We also ask them to write qualifying exams so we can get those who are willing and ready to learn and we follow up to confirm their claim of being indigent.”
The children don’t pay for anything while in school including their feeding and uniforms. They are also being trained in some productive trade apart from their academics.
Oba Abolarin recalled that many were taken aback when he became a traditional monarch.
He said however that it was when he came to the town that it dawned on him what God wanted him to do.
“I discover that God wanted me to be a blessing to the children. And that is what I have been doing,” he said.
He appealed to Nigerians who have the means to lend a hand to indigent folks while also noting that there is a need to arrest poverty in the land.
The 62-year-old monarch was installed Òràngún of Òkè-Ìlá on December 8, 2006. And he is from the Obasolo Ruling House. He holds a first degree in Political Science, a Master’s degree in International Relations and a law degree; all from Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife).
