Osinbajo stressed that foundational education plays a decisive role in shaping future leaders, insisting that the habits and values that guide adults are formed in school, not later in life.
“The discipline of waking up at 5:30 am and the ‘lights out’ rules in secondary school actually built great leaders,” he said, reflecting on his own schooling experience.
He argued that effective leadership does not begin in government offices but much earlier, adding, “By the time a child turns 18, their ethical instincts are already likely formed.”
The former Vice President also urged corporate bodies, alumni, and well-meaning Nigerians to support schools alongside government efforts, stressing that long-term endowments are critical for sustaining educational institutions.
“Many great institutions are backed by large endowments that sustain their operations for decades,” he said. “Endowments are more about the ability to propagate a worldview, certain standards and values that we hold dear.”
Osinbajo highlighted that such funds are often donated by former students and their families. He recalled that Igbobi College itself was built through missionary endowments and contributions from the Anglican and Methodist churches, which helped subsidise high-quality education while building a strong moral and civic environment.
He also reflected on his own academic journey at Igbobi College, where he studied from 1969 to 1975 and received several awards, including the State Merit Award and the African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize.
“Every investment in a school is an investment in the future of the country,” he said, adding that early Nigerian leaders were not shaped by accident but by schools deliberately protected from volatility.
ICOBA Launches ₦10 Billion Endowment Fund
At the same event, the Igbobi College Old Boys’ Association (ICOBA) announced the launch of a ₦10 billion Endowment Fund aimed at revitalising the institution and securing its legacy for the next century.
Chief Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, ICOBA’s 12th President, said the fund would finance new hostels, upgraded science laboratories, and advanced learning technologies. He assured the public that professional managers from Chapel Hill Denham would oversee the fund to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We don’t want anyone to ‘use the money anyhow,’” he said, urging alumni to contribute and challenge future generations to uphold the founders’ vision.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, expressed support for the initiative. He noted that disciplined schools like Igbobi help the government reduce social problems and strengthen the nation’s leadership pipeline.
He added that good governance and infrastructure management depend on principled leadership, stressing the importance of maintaining the school’s legacy through the endowment fund.
The lecture was chaired by Mr Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, who explained that an endowment represents a shift from short-term intervention to long-term institutional stability.