By Rotimi Ojomoyela

ADO-Ekiti-No fewer than  206 students of secondary schools, undergraduates in tertiary institutions and students of the Nigerian Law School went home with cheques for their scholarship from legal icon, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).

The beneficiaries who were joined by their parents and well wishers expressed their appreciation to the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for rescuing them and keeping their hopes alive.

The Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme (WOSS) which was started in 1996 by the legal giant to assist brilliant but indigent students marked 20 years with the 2016 edition with guests and parents of beneficiaries pouring encomiums on the sponsor.

Political amibition

The event took place recently at Olanipekun’s country home in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.“The Scholarship scheme was set up by the legal Icon to assist students of Ikere origin but later extended to students from other local government areas of Ekiti State and other states of the federation.

This year’s award ceremony was chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka while the guest lecturer was Prof. Toyin Bamisaye of Ekiti State University.

Olanipekun explained that he never nursed any political amibition but rather wanted to be useful for humanity in rendering the assistance: I don’t have any political ambition for doing this. I never wished for such. For the past 10 years, people have been asking questions, why is he doing this? Some people thought may be I wanted to be  the state governor. But I don’t have such ambition. My profession is law and that is what I love doing so much.

Commenting on the incessant strike action by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) the renowned legal icon, Wole Olanipekun, (SAN) and former Pro-chancellor of the Premier University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, said that  incessant strike action by the university teachers may eventually kill education in the Country.

He called on ASUU and the federal government to always seek for amicable way of settling their differences rather than  embarking on strike action, adding that industrial action in the education sector iscrippling the sector and enriching mushroom schools in neighbouring countries.

According to Olanipekun,  ” We must not kill education, Education leads to revival, it leads to revolution, emancipation and it also leads to freedom. Without education, there would be darkness. Because education brings light.

Already education is dying in Nigeria. I want to plead with both ASUU and the government, please come together, reason together and urgently resolve your differences for the sake of our children. And these children are the reason for our existence, the hub of our life, the anchor of our nation.

A nation without a future is no nation and what do we mean by future, it is the education for these young people.