The Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), an umbrella body of all Ibadan indigenes, clubs and associations, home and abroad, has commended the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Erudite Group, Saheed Oladele, over the roles he had been playing in the educational development of Ibadanland and the country in general.
The body made the declaration while decorating Oladele as the Grand Ambassador of Ibadan Culture. The decoration of Oladele coincided with the opening of the office of Baàmẹ̀kọ́ of Ibadanland and the inauguration of directors of different departments drawn across professions.
The CCII President-General, Ajeniyi Ajewole, noted that the decoration of Oladele was because of his sterling contributions and remarkable impacts as a major player in the educational sector of Ibadan and Nigeria.
“The Baàmẹ̀kọ́ of Ibadanland has distinguished himself as a promoter of quality education in the country. He is someone who is worthy to be decorated as grand ambassador of Ibadan culture.
“Many people may wonder why we have chosen to decorate him. We are decorating him because education is part of Ibadan culture. The first university in Nigeria is in Ibadan.”
Also, the Vice President-General 1 of CCII, Dr Tirmisiyu Oladimeji, said: “Oladele is tested and trusted. We first sent one of our children who is about to complete his university education to his school, Erudite Millennium Limited, and we are happy with his performance.”
In his address, the Chairman of 2024 Ibadan Cultural Week, Balogun Gaphar Ojetola, noted that he got the information about the groundbreaking records and success of Saheed Oladele’s school in the far away United Kingdom. He said that he was surprised to know of the activities of the Erudite Chairman from overseas. Oladele, in his remarks, said: “I will use the office of Baàmẹ̀kọ́ of Ibadanland to rally round support to renovate schools in Ibadan.
“Many schools are without windows, doors, and the students are learning in an unpleasant environment.
“We will work with relevant stakeholders to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Ibadan.
“We want to use our office to promote training and entrepreneurial skills. We want to give scholarships to brilliant and indigent students in (public) schools.”
He used the occasion to seek partnerships, collaborations and support from well-meaning Ibadan indigenes and other lovers of Ibadan towards actualisation of the goals.
