Former Accountant General Debunks ‘Education Is a Scam’ Notion

On Thursday, the immediate past Accountant General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, cautioned Nigerian youths against tagging education as a scam.

Madein said this at Iperu Remo while speaking during an empowerment programme organised by the Olowo Oloye Foundation, an initiative founded by her and named after her late father, Alhaji Surakat Oyebanjo Sanni, popularly known as Olowo Oloye, the late Seriki Adinni of Iperu Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The empowerment programme is one of the key events scheduled for the homecoming reception, organised by the Iperu Development Association, to honour the former Attorney-General of the Federation for his service to the nation.

The gesture featured free medical services for over 500 residents of the town, the presentation of scholarships to 150 secondary school students, the distribution of food palliatives, and the presentation of grinding machines, deep freezers, and dryers, among other empowerment tools.

Madein said that education has been validated since immemorial as a path towards career fulfilment and freedom from poverty and ignorance.

She explained that if not for God’s grace and the opportunity of education, rising to the position of Accountant General of the Federation might have remained just a dream.

The ex-AGF also stressed the importance of giving back to the community, saying, “It is just apparent that the government cannot do it all alone; there’s a lot to be done, but the resources are also limited.

“So, we must all make it a point of duty to be partners in progress with the government to help in our little way for the upliftment of the people and our communities.”

Speaking further, she said, “The first 16 years of my life were spent in this lovely town of Iperu Remo. I had my primary education at Ansar-Ud-Deen, after which I attended the Local Authority School in Ikenne. I later joined Christ Apostolic Grammar School, Iperu Remo.

“As God would help me, I made my O’ Level in one sitting and continued with my studies; I gained admission into Ogun State Polytechnic. I eventually became the Federation’s Accountant-General through God’s grace and education.

“Unfortunately, some people are now saying education is a scam. They are wrong because education is not a scam but a path to greatness and fulfilment in life.

“Whatever you do with education will always stand you out; if it is trading, you will trade so well with so much dignity and higher economic wisdom.”

She encouraged students not to let their local background hold them back from achieving academic success, sharing that she had once been in their shoes but had stayed focused on her studies and risen to the top.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Chairman of the Iperu Development Association, Taiwo Oyebanjo, described Madein as a role model and the community’s pride.

Oyebanjo commended the immediate past AGF for her service to the federation and her contributions to enhancing the community’s socio-economic development. He urged other individuals and indigenes of the community to emulate Madein’s love for the people and humanity.