By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has explained why he discontinued the state’s sponsorship of pilgrims to Mecca and Jerusalem during his tenure between 1999 and 2003, saying the funds were redirected to education and public infrastructure.
Osoba said he was disturbed that students in public schools were bringing desks from home, while many brilliant pupils were unable to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) because their parents could not afford the fees.
“When I came in as governor in 1999, I was very upset that students were carrying desks from home to school, and a lot of brilliant students could not sit for WAEC because their parents could not afford the fee,” he said.
According to him, rather than spend public funds on Christian and Muslim pilgrimages, he chose to invest in education by producing and distributing desks and chairs to schools across the state and paying examination fees for final-year students.
“That was why I told them that instead of spending money on pilgrims, either Christian or Muslim, let me stop that and use the money to construct desks. I paid the WAEC fees of all the students. So whether your parents were able to pay or not, the government took care of the payment,” he stated.
Osoba made these remarks while speaking after his investiture as Life Vice Patron of a club in Abeokuta, alongside Chief Olusegun Osunkeye.
He urged governments at all levels to embrace continuity in governance, noting that the lack of sustained policy implementation had been a major setback to Nigeria’s development. He also called on Nigerians to take up farming as a survival strategy and urged governors to invest more in agriculture to tackle food insecurity.
Reflecting on his time in office, Osoba said he relied solely on career civil servants and did not bring in outsiders.
“I never brought anyone from outside the state to work with me, not even a messenger. Whatever modest success we recorded was the work of the civil servants,” he said, citing rural electrification projects, rural road construction and the Abeokuta Hilltop housing estate as examples.
Osoba said he felt deeply honoured by the recognition from his home community.
“Egba is my root, Abeokuta is my root. Honouring me today is the greatest honour I have received,” he said, pledging continued service to the development of Egba land.
Speaking after the event, former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, described Osoba as a “colossus” and said the honour was a fitting recognition of his long-standing commitment to public service.
In a welcome address, the club’s Life President and Chairman, Board of Trustees and Elders, Prof. Afolabi Soyode, said the lives of the honourees reflected values of dignity, integrity and service, describing Osoba as a towering figure in journalism and governance, and Chief Olusegun Osunkeye as a respected corporate leader.
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