Mrs Funso Adegbola, eldest daughter of late former governor of old Oyo State, Bola Ige, has disclosed that she started Vale College, Ibadan, after working in her father’s law chambers for 7 years.
Funso, who would be 57 later this year, explained that she has always been passionate about education. “But it was ignited after my studies abroad in 1986 and people began to complain about the standard of education. I said to myself that instead of complaining, let me do something. The Vale College was established on November 7, 1994 as a private co-educational secondary school to cater for the educational and pastoral needs of individuals from Grade 7 to Grade 12 (JSS1-SSS3). It is a Bible-based Christian school that values character building in the young ones.
“The school also set out to make itself the first choice of parents and children who seek an excellent modern education, boarding or day, in a co-educational environment based on breadth of curriculum, sound discipline, independence of mind and service to the community. And as part of its process to fulfilling its mission statement, the school runs broad curricula, the Nigerian curriculum and British curriculum while public speaking and elocution, Christian fellowship, leadership training and charitable activities have been part of the school programmes since inception in 1993.
“We were formerly in Bodija, then moved to a temporary site in GRA, Iyaganku. Today, we are celebrating the completion of a modern four-storey edifice which will accommodate all the classrooms, laboratories and offices within the GRA, Iyagangu.”
Revealing how he bagged two degrees, she recalled how she had “all my nursery, primary, secondary education in Nigeria before moving to England for my ‘A’ Levels in 1975. I did English, French and Spanish for my advanced levels. I have two degrees. I studied Spanish and French at the University of Essex and another degree in Law from the University of Bristol, both in the UK. I came to the Nigerian Law School in 1986 and did my youth service with Ademola, Ajakaye and Co. After my youth service, I worked in my father’s chambers, Bola Ige and Co., for seven years, until 1994 when I started The Vale College.”
On what made her studied foreign languages and law, she explained that ”I was very good in French. When I was in St. Anne’s, I was one of the best students in French. So I continued to do it when I got to the school in the UK and added Spanish. Funny enough, when I was growing up, I wanted to work in a diplomatic service and I thought because I had a degree in foreign languages it would give me an opportunity to work in the foreign service. I spent some time with the Nigerian High Commission in Spain when Ambassador John Sagay was there. Ambassador Sagay advised me that to be a career diplomat it is good to have languages but it is also good to have a profession. I was thinking of doing accounting or other courses because I was not ready to come back to Nigeria. I eventually chose law.
“Then having outstanding parents as lawyers, I knew I could not afford to be a mediocre. And because I had the first degree under my belt, I knew I would do the law better. I enrolled at Bristol University which was the third best university for Law in the UK then, after Oxford and Cambridge. It was a wonderful experience for me. Again, I love travelling and it’s an added advantage to have various languages. My father studied Latin and Greek before law. This to me is a well-rounded education.”
She revealed how she has faced a lot of challenges as it has not been a bed of roses. “I started the school a year after my immediate younger brother, Babatunde, died. By the 10th anniversary of my school, I had lost both parents. Those are the people that are closest to me in the whole world. Those were tough times and that I survived and emerged victorious is by the mercy of God.”
Reeling out her achievements, she said: “I started my school with 13 students and 10 teachers and those first 13 students were a work of faith because I didn’t have a track record of a renowned educationist but their parents believed in me. And by the grace of God everything turned out great. Some of my students are now making waves in their endeavours. I have students who have started giving scholarships. One of my ex-students is 27 years old and has already given out N400, 000 scholarship every year to a current student and he is going to be doing it every year. One of my students, Yewande Akinola, got an award from Queen Elizabeth II of England in 2012 for being one of the best female engineers under 30 in the whole of UK. I have a number of students who got a First Class Degree in Pharmacy, Law, and Accounting etc. This year, all my students came out in flying colours. No student got Ds or Es. I have a student who had As in the Tutorial College where we do ‘A’ Levels.”
