THE KEY CALLED EDUCATION

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Alao Arisekola was one of the richest men in Nigeria. He was a native of Oyo State, he had the biggest house in the state. In his house, there was a mini-zoo with animals like Ostrich, Giraffe and many more. He was the delight and role model to many people. I believed in his wealth when I saw his limousine, it was my first time and it felt good. One bright afternoon, he was called to address students of a secondary school. The children went wild in excitement when the principal announced that he would visit the school. The students came to school clean and ready to receive a special dignitary among them.

He came in with his entourage, the students were happy. After introduction and jamboree, he finally stood up to talk to the children. In his white kaftan, he collected the microphone on the podium. Just as he was about to speak, a man stood up among his entourage and took another microphone. The children wondered who he was but their attention was undivided. He cleared his throat and spoke to the surprise of the children.

He couldn’t speak English, the other man beside him was the interpreter. After so many words of encouragement, he made a statement that shook the school:

“I know you see me as a rich man but I am not happy. You won’t believe my rich friends don’t invite me to some places because I can’t speak English. I have spent lot of money to get educated at this stage but it is not working.” Tears came down his eyes as he expressed his pain to them. He died few years after with his regret. His educated children inherited his wealth and that is the end of Chief Arisekola.

King Sunny Ade, the first Nigerian to be nominated for Grammy Award in 1983, is a very successful musician. He has had concerts and shows all around the world with his band. He dropped out of secondary school to join a band, this was the beginning of his journey to music. He is presently one of the richest musicians in Africa. He was invited to a live show and the host asked him what his biggest regret was. He sat up on that chair and sighed.

”You see, I was the best in my school back then but I ran after my dream, which is music. Today, I regret dropping out of school, I just discovered I would have been able to combine both.”

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Education is key and very important, don’t misuse the opportunity you have to be in school right now. So many rich people have died with that regret, some are still living with that. You have no excuse for dropping out, environments are different. What favors someone in Europe may not favor another in Asia. Get educated, build your talent and balance the two so one doesn’t affect the other. You have your life in your hands, do with it what you won’t regret when you are old.