Award-winning hip-hop singer, David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, has emphasised the importance of education in achieving excellence across all human endeavours, saying that it is therefore wrong for anyone to say that education is a scam.
Davido said that, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, in 2015, he’s always quick to brag to his colleagues that he went to school.
The hip-hop singer, who described music and creativity as akin to oil in present-day Nigeria, pledged to invest in the development of the music department of his alma mater with an ultra-modern building and sophisticated, standard equipment that would further help the university produce world-class graduates in music.
The Omo Baba Olowo crooner said that combining his university education programme with his music career, which was already going global, was tough, and he was almost quitting, but for the support of his billionaire father and elder brother to Osun State Governor, Dr Adedeji Adeleke, his auntie, and some other lecturers of the university.
Davido said that aside from his beautiful wife, Chioma, one other thing he took away from Babcock that has helped shape his career is discipline.
The hip-hop artiste disclosed this on Sunday while interacting with journalists during his visit to Babcock University, Ilisan Remo.
The artist was given a heroic welcome by both the university management team, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Afolarin Ojewole, and the students of the institution, who came out in large numbers to welcome one of them back to the university.
Speaking on the impact of the university on his life and career, Davido said that “aside from my wife, whom I met at the university, I’ll say discipline is another thing.
“I already did two years in the States in Oakwood, so I was here for about two and a half years and I lived in the house of the VC and after that, I actually dropped music, so I blew up so much that I couldn’t stay in school fully because of fans and stuff like that, but with the help of Prof and my auntie that pushed me I was able to finish.
“Sometimes, I’ll be like, auntie, I’m leaving, I’m leaving, I’m going but she will say David, be patient and just finish, and I ended up finishing, and like I said before It’s been a bragging rights for me among my colleagues, I am always quick to tell them that I went to school, I will say I went to school, It is something I’m happy, that I ended up doing.”
Speaking further on his vision for his alma mater, Davido said that “The music department is what I want to expand .. I feel like it should be a standalone building.
“I just personally built an office in Lagos, it’s a high-class, standard music studio, so we are ready to donate and give back to the school and make sure we have proper, standard equipment because music is oil right now in Nigeria,
“Creativity right now is oil, I’m ready to back that, I need it. So, for the university, one of the things I want to do is for the music department. I want to have my own building, and VC and I will talk and hopefully get that done before the year runs out”.
The award-winning singer frowned at the youth dubbing education as a scam, saying, “I will definitely say that education is not a scam, I’ll say no. I’ll say no. But actually, there are people who didn’t go to school that made it, you know, but it would be wrong for anyone to say that education is a scam.”
Counseling the youth, Davido urged them to believe in themselves, work on their crafts, love what they are doing, always push for the very best, and they will be up there in life sooner or later.
He said that “Nigerian youth must believe in themselves, work on their craft fully. I love my job. I feel like if I didn’t love my job, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I pushed myself to the furthest extent of anything that I do.
“So, whatever you are doing, whether it’s music, whether it’s sports, whether it’s journalism, engineering, push yourself, love what you are doing and most importantly, love God too.”
Welcoming the hip-hop artiste, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Afolarin Ojewole, hailed Davido as a worthy ambassador of the university, citing his globally recognised exploits and success in the music world.
Ojewole said the university’s relationship with the Adelekes dated back years, noting that the family has always supported the Adventist Church’s vision behind the institution’s establishment.
By Taiwo Bankole
