How committed visionary leadership can impact generations, by Osinbajo

• VP at Igbobi College 90th anniversary event, praises vision, contribution of founders
• says, school taught “us the difference a single person can make” in their corners

Having laid a foundation for the nurturing of leaders who have left indelible marks across different fields, impacting many generations, the founders of Igbobi College, Lagos, have shown “what committed and visionary leadership can accomplish”, according to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

The Vice President stated this Saturday evening in Lagos at 90th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner of Igbobi College, organised by the institution’s alumni association, Igbobi College Old Boys Association (ICOBA) of which he is a member.

According to the VP, “when the founders of Igbobi College, all those many years ago, decided to fill a gap they saw in the education of the boys, they not only created an environment that transformed the lives of the first 150 boys that walked into its Yaba campus in 1932, they triggered a legacy of excellence and integrity that has produced a retinue of young men who have gone on to set great examples in almost every sphere of human endeavour. The notability of our alumni speaks for itself.

“In many ways, Igbobi College is a testament to what committed and visionary leadership can accomplish. When people come together to serve a purpose greater than themselves the results are far reaching and long lasting.”

Making specific reference to the impact of the College on society, Prof. Osinbajo noted that “every generation from Igbobi College, since inception, has produced an array of outstanding leaders.

“Pioneering businessmen and exceptional statesmen who have served at every level of public service and governance; clergymen with national and global influence; thought leaders and intellectuals with indelible footprints in academia and journalism, and many more in different other fields of endeavor.”

Continuing, the VP explained that “what is sometimes unseen beneath the surface of their individual achievements is the wider societal impact of each of these men: the values transferred within their families and immediate constituencies, the number of jobs created, the forward thinking public policies they have been instrumental to crafting, and the number of people inspired by the laurels they have won in their respective fields.”

“If there is anything Igbobi College has taught us, it is the difference a single person can make by taking responsibility for their own little corner of the world, and the duty we owe to pay it forward,” he added.

The Vice President then called on the alumni to “honour the legacy of the founders”, noting “the first set of teachers and administrators whose selfless commitment laid the moral foundation of the school and set it on its path to greatness: Mr. N.A Birthwistle and N.P. Morris, Leslie Murby and Bishop Odutola, Mr. Ogunlesi and Baba Esubiyi.”

In his remarks, the President of ICOBA, Mr Muyiwa Kinoshi, who gave an overview of the organisation’s activities in the past years, commended the contribution of ICOBA members to the development of the nation.

The highpoint of the occasion was the launch of the Endowment Fund by the Old Boys alumni association to contribute to the infrastructural development of the school.

Also present at the occasion were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; past and present leadership of ICOBA, representatives of the school owners (Anglican and Methodist Churches), Captains of Industry, representatives of other Old Boys and Old Girls associations among others.