By Oladunni Adeniyi
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said Nigerian "bad belle" prevented the presumed winner of the 1993 Presidential election, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola from becoming the nation's president.
Obasanjo, who said this in a lecture titled “Eyin Ni Iwe Wa: You Are Our Epistle,” the centenary celebrations of the Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said “bad belle” did not allow Abeokuta produce another president.
The former President said the BBHS has produced great men who had contributed greatly to the socio-economic and political development of the country.
Obasanjo said “Today, there are distinguished old boys in all walks of life, i.e., private sector, academia, military and paramilitary, civil society, traditional rulership, etc. Such is the present President of Old Boys Association of BBHS, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku.
“I believe that I must not be too forgetful to leave out yours truly, the son of Obasanjo, a modest war-victorious General and former Military Head of State and former President of Nigeria. Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the first communication industry millionaire in Nigeria and the acclaimed winner of the 1993 Presidential election who was in a class by himself
“We as students of BBHS were and are and will continue to be very important letters and message on very serious subject of life and living.
"We could proudly say BBHS with education plus. And for me, it stood me in good stead throughout my life so far. Without BBHS, I would not have been what I am. Once again, I am grateful to those that I have mentioned and seniors, classmates and juniors that I had the opportunity to interact with while in the BBHS".
"Let us preserve it and pass it on in perpetuity. What all these great products of BBHS have in common is godly virtue inculcated in them by the School. That was education plus. We carry it to anywhere we go as epistle written by BBHS to our families, our communities, our States, our country, and our continent of Africa and indeed our world".
We must impact with humility, honesty, integrity, wisdom, courage, competence and fear of God – these must continue to be our characteristics and our attributes to make a change for good wherever we are. We must be different".
"And that is a challenge for up-and-coming generations of old boys. With the galaxy of men and leaders which BBHS Abeokuta has produced for Nigeria, we, collectively and individually as beneficiaries owe the Southern Baptist Convention in the USA, a debt of gratitude for their Great Commission work which had yielded great fruit in the vineyard of God".
"We got as much as they could give and we supplemented with self-effort and hard work.
But more importantly were the morning devotions and especially when led by Mr. E. L. Akisanya who knew the name of every student in the School. He had made us to easily remembered topics like “You are our Epistle” (Eyin Ni Iwe Wa) to make us conscious of our duties and conduct as representatives and ambassadors of the School wherever we go. Or, “remember the child of whom you are” (Ranti omo eni ti iwo nse). Again, reminding us always of our character and conduct".
He said without the moral virtues and sound education impacted on him by BBHS, he would not have become what he is today.
Obasanjo also noted that the school moulded the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, former Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Prince Bola Ajibola, among others, into what they all became in life.
Awolowo was at BBHS in 1928; Ajibola graduated in 1955; Abiola was among the 1956 set, while Obasanjo left the school in 1957.
Obasanjo noted that aside education, the 100-year-old school had at different times inculcated godly virtue on all its products.
“If not for Nigerian bad belle, M.K.O. Abiola would have been President and with me as President, we would have needed one more old student of BBHS to be President for us to permanently locate it in BBHS after three times,” President Obasanjo said.
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