Words by- Josephine Agbonkhese
Former Deputy Governor to ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Prof. Modupe Adeola Adelabu is a revered trailblazer in the field of education.
A retired professor of Educational Administration in the Department of Educational Management at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, she holds an impressive resume: Chairman of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, 2011-2014; Chairman, National Board for Technical Education, NBTE; Consultant, National Primary Education Commission and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC. Prof. Adelabu was Chief Facilitator to SUBEB in various other states such as Ondo, Oyo, Osun and Lagos.
She is also a highly sought-after consultant to major development partners such as the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, DFIDUK, DFID Nigeria, and the International Labour Organisation, ILO.
Set to launch her book, Navigating the Politics of Universal Basic Education Policies in Nigeria come August 15th at the NAF Conference Center in Abuja, the proud grandmother who has clinched innumerable awards and recognitions for her work in the field of education in Nigeria, opens up on this new project and her remarkable journey in the field of education.
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You’ve been a trailblazer in the field of education; did you set out to be an educationist or education came by happenstance?
I have been an educationist all my life. Initially, I thought I was going to be a lawyer but somehow along the way, I opted for education and I do not regret it.
The thing is, most people think education is all about teaching but it is not. We train teachers, deal with policies, politics and development. That’s why you see me do a lot of workshops both at state and national levels because I enjoy teaching, mentoring and coaching people about the values of education.
Starting from your first experience as an educator, take us through your career journey…
My career started in the university as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Ile-Ife, Osun State. From there to Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer 1, Senior Lecturer and invariably, I became a Professor in the Department of Educational Management. My specialty is on policy and politics of education. Most importantly also, on personnel development in education generally.
At what point did you begin to consider politics and what marked the beginning of your political journey?
Incidentally, I never thought I will be a politician or that I will find myself in mainstream politics.
My appointment as Chairman of Ekiti State SUBEB marked the beginning of my foray into politics and, since then, I have tried to serve my nation, state and even immediate community whenever I am called upon.
Looking back at your days as Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of Ekiti State SUBEB, what would you say were your most laudable achievements?
What I consider laudable was the ability to take the school to the community and the community to the school. I also involved members of the community as partners in the educational system of the state.
Secondly, I was able to introduce some form of entrepreneurship at the basic education level where children in primary and junior secondary levels were invited to come showcase their skills apart from book knowledge. That has never happened before. We partnered with the private sector and the programme was run for a couple of years. I believe this can contribute to eliminating poverty if replicated at the national level.
I appreciate the fact that the governor, on his part, allowed me to do things the way I deemed fit. That’s how to be a good leader. When he delegates, he delegates both authority and power. He was a great mentor and coach who contributed heavily to my development as a political leader.
Much hasn’t been heard of you in mainstream politics after your tenure as Deputy Governor; what takes your time now?
It’s not true. After my tenure, I returned back to the university because I left the university on leave to serve the state. So, I had to go back to retire properly; which I did in 2020.
Talking about what takes my time, after I went back to the classroom, I also began putting my thoughts together towards the book I’m going to launch now. I started the book over 10 years ago. It took me years of collection of empirical facts, research, and burying my head in the library to look for facts on education policy and policy development in Nigeria. So, that has taken my time.
Most women who go into politics as deputy never move to the next level; why don’t women ever make it to be governor?
Truly, most female deputy governors have never been governors. Except for the lady from the east, Dame Virginia Etiaba, who was by chance govenor for some weeks. You know, this society is a patriarchal society. Even though men want women to participate in politics (largely as campaigners), the fact is that all over the world, especially in African countries, men are territorial about leadership; which makes it difficult for women to attain certain levels or seats. Even those who were Deputy Governors were just lucky to be chosen by the governor and party. Most importantly, women have challenges. The home itself is a major challenge. Even many whose children are grown up, may still not be allowed by their husbands to go beyond certain levels in politics. Women are majority of the voters but empirical studies have shown that women also do not support themselves. Otherwise, if all women in any state decide to support another woman, that woman may be governor one day. Another problem is that most women will rather like to play second fiddle for convenience. The financial involvement is also there.
We’ve seen cases where men will sell their cars and homes to pursue politics; but how many women can do that?
Let’s talk about your new book ‘Navigating the Politics of Universal Basic Education Policies in Nigeria’; why this book and what’s it about?
This book is both historical, political and educational. Above all, it talks about the symbiotic relationship between education and politics. Since the medieval times, you will find out that all the rulers in that era have used education to shape their political regime. That is to say, if, for instance, you want to enforce democracy in your country, you should start with your primary school curriculum.
Any country that wants to make a policy, whether social, health, or whatever, must always use education as a tool. So, education will influence politics and politics will influence education.
If you look at my book, I talked about the 1955 free education to universal education.
The idea behind universal education is that anybody who has spent about nine years in school will be an agent of development in the country. If you want to develop, whether as a developed or developing nation, you should concentrate on education, starting from the primary level. It is whatever you want your state to be, that should be in the curriculum. When education is rightly used as a tool, we would have less of violence, less ill behaviour and all other vices in our society.
The book also talks about how education can be financed, as well as how regional educational gaps can be addressed.
When is the launch taking place and what impact do you hope it will have?
By the grace of God, we hope to have this launch on the 15th of August. It will be an occasion where we will engage in stimulating conversations surrounding education policies in Nigeria. Every policy maker should be able to read this book to see the process of policy-making and how they can use education to drive governance. The Vice President of Nigeria, H.E Kashim Shettima, will be special guest of honour at the event which will be chaired by Chief Bisi Akande.
Shouldn’t universal education policies be guided by global standards and best practices rather than local politics since our products will have to compete globally in life?
Universal education policies should be guided by both local and global environments. We have the immediate internal environment that drives policies, as well as international environment and global best practices. I discussed all these in my book.
There’s no way you can decide on your own without thinking of what is going on allover the world; whether it is in terms of technology or whatever. You must follow suit.
The older members of the society always talk about education with nostalgia; what did government put in place that made education tick especially in quality?
Everybody is nostalgic about the past. I could remember my father will say: “What type of education are you people having? In our time, it was like this, it was like that.”
Come to think of it, the things our children know now and learn in school are amazing. So, if you think you want to go back to the past—yes, maybe in the area of quality, don’t forget that there were limited number of pupils in the class. Also, the ratio of teacher to student was different.
You said in one of your recent interviews that you have mostly PhD holders in your family and the least holds a Master’s degree; what brought about that standard?
Everybody knows that the only trade we have in Ekiti State is education. There’s hardly any family in Ekiti where you won’t find a professor or somebody with a PhD. I don’t know whether it is inherent or the water we drink (laughs).
My father was a retired teacher and a trader with a lot of exposure. His first five children were girls and he wanted to showcase to the world that whatever boys can achieve, girls too can. So, he invested in us a lot and we are grateful for that. My mother was a very strong supporter of education as well and will not spare you if your position is not first, second or third in class.
What do you miss most about your late husband?
This is a soft spot I usually don’t want to talk about. I miss everything about him. My husband is the best husband any woman should struggle to have.
What was it like joggling motherhood with career as a young professional?
It wasn’t easy but God made it convenient. We were in the university setting; Ife precisely, and that was where we brought up all our children. There was no distraction because it had no place for weekend owambe or whatever. So, we only had work and home to concentrate on. I also had a very supportive husband.
Do you feel fulfilled at 74?
I feel grateful and fulfilled. I give all the glory to God. I have good children, grand children, and I’m comfortable. I also enjoy my work. Whatever I think I should have achieved, I think I have achieved. Any other thing is an extra from God.
How do you relax?
I love to watch television, especially soaps. When I feel bored, I go out to visit one or two friends. I also like to walk; I do that for at least 30 minutes every day. I also love to dance. My husband would say I’m the only person he knows that dances without music. I also travel a lot. I hardly go to social parties.
What would you tell any woman aspiring for growth in career and leadership?
Have a focus, aim high and work hard. Don’t sacrifice your integrity and morals for any position. You can still achieve whatever you want to achieve if you work hard.
What’s your philosophy of life?
My philosophy is to always help others. Live and let’s live.