Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has called on governments at all levels, corporate organisations, and philanthropists to commit more deliberately to education as a strategy for producing global billionaires and internationally recognised brands. He made this appeal at the 29th convocation ceremony of Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti, where he was conferred with a Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa).
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, underscored how countries across Asia, Europe, and North America had harnessed education as a transformative tool to meet national aspirations and confront socio-economic challenges.
“When I talk about quality education, I mean the kind of education that liberates minds; that meaningfully transforms generations and that unlocks doors to limitless opportunities across all sectors,” he said.
Describing education as the catalyst for greatness, he urged the nation to replicate models that have propelled global tech and business icons to prominence. “This is the credible template that produced Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon Inc; Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder of Facebook and Instagram; Larry Page, CEO of Google; Warren Buffet, the proud owner of Berkshire Hathaway Inc and many more,” he said.
“It is now time for us all to leverage the tool of quality education to produce our own global billionaires and brands. But we cannot achieve it by accident or by chance, but by strategic planning and aggressive pursuit of those plans,” Bamidele added.
He stressed the urgency of prioritising education as a national strategy, saying, “We may not achieve it without redefining our national priority and investing meaningfully in people. In essence, education that liberates minds is the only answer to our desired ends. And the earlier we start investing more strategically in our people, the better for us as a federation.”
The senator, who has now received three honorary doctorate degrees between January 2003 and March 2025, urged both public and private actors to “return to the drawing board, reflect on this message and recommit ourselves to the task of investing more meaningfully in people.”
Ekiti State University Vice Chancellor, Ayodele Joseph, in his address, applauded Bamidele’s support for the institution. He highlighted several development projects facilitated by the senator, including the construction of male and female hostels for medical students, a mini stadium, and an FM radio station.
Joseph also linked the institution’s recent successes to improved financial support, noting an increase in the university’s monthly subvention from N260 million to N410 million.
