By joshua 
Pastor Babalola laments national woes, proffers solutions
Ayo Ola
No fewer than 1,920 people have benefited from the scholarships of the Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF), since its inception till date.
The beneficiaries comprise pupils from primary schools and secondary schools; students from tertiary institutions and others.
BBBF, is a non-governmental organisation, which was founded by Pastor Engineer Sunday Adebayo Babalola and his lovely and amiable wife, Pastor Bunmi Adebayo Babalola.
Engineer Sunday Adebayo in his address at the seventh edition of the scholarship presentation ceremony, which took place at Omu Aran High School, Omu Aran, Irepodun Local Government of Kwara State, on Thursday, October 13, 2022; said the scholarship is one of the human capital development strategies of the NGO for the advancement of Nigeria and humanity.
During the 7th edition, BBBF gave scholarships to 558 people in Kwara State.
The beneficiaries consist of pupils from Junior Secondary School (JS3); Senior Secondary School (SS3); students from tertiary institutions and others.
Engineer Sunday Adebayo in his address at the event said the scholarship is one of the human capital development strategies of the NGO so as to advance Nigeria and help humanity.
Below is his address at the event:
“It is with immense joy that I express my gratitude to God, the Almighty, for keeping us alive till today. In this period of insecurity, hardship, and hunger, many people have been sent to their untimely graves. So, for us, who are alive, it is not by our might, power or ability but by the grace of the Almighty God and we remain eternally grateful to Him for preserving our lives.
“About a year ago, a bosom friend, the Eesa of Omu Aran, High Chief Jide Adebayo, was called to glory. He was a great adviser, counsellor, and motivator. We miss him so much. During the 2021/2022 scholarship program, he contributed immensely. We pray that the good Lord continue to keep his family and the things he cared about that he left behind. We came with nothing; we shall go with nothing. We dedicate this 2022/2023 edition of the Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation (BBBF) scholarship program to our late friend, brother and compatriot.
“May we observe some minutes of silence for the departed!
“We are grateful to all the people who have been organizing the scholarship events from their inception to date. Your contributions have greatly helped in the success achieved by the BBF. We also appreciate those who have recently joined the team because of the expansion. May God continue to bless you all. You are all as important as the founders and financiers of the foundation. Your organizational skills are superlative and commendable. Your contributions have greatly helped in the successes achieved by this foundation.
“The last edition of this scholarship ceremony was held on October 12, 2021.
“558 pupils, students and others, are beneficiaries of this year’s scholarship of our foundation. The beneficiaries comprise pupils from Junior Secondary Schools (JS3); Senior Secondary Schools (SS3); students from tertiary institutions and others.
“In the past, the foundation gave scholarships to a total of 1,362 beneficiaries comprising 681 pupils from primary and secondary schools and 681 students from tertiary institutions. With today’s eventof 558, there are a total of 1,920 beneficiaries.
“We are excited with the testimonies we hear from and the progress of the pupils and students who are our beneficiaries. We are also grateful to God for them and urge them to keep the good flag flying. They must continue to be studious, diligent, hardworking and above all God fearing. They must continue to be good ambassadors of their families, schools and communities as well as this foundation.
“We are immensely grateful to God, the Great Provider, who has been providing the resources for the actualisation of this laudable programme.
“We have made this humungous investment, not because we have all the money, but as our willingness to sacrifice and a show of commitment to the educational advancement of the younger generation. We believe in Luke 12:48 that “To whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” We believe firmly that every child should have good education as education is the bedrock of societal growth and advancement. Education is instrumental to the emergence of outstanding professionals, business tycoons, local government, state, national and world leaders. Without education, society, alas the world at large, will not only stagnate but retrogress. Crimes, poverty, sickness, insecurity and total darkness will overwhelm the world without education.
National issues:
“Nigeria rated fourth with $13 billion International Development Association (IDA) by 30 June 2022.
“It is sad that Nigeria which exited the Paris Club during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, having paid a substantial part of its debt and got the remaining forgiven, has now sunk into a debt mess and trap during the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is lamentable that the World Bank’s latest report states that Nigeria is among the top 10 International Development Association borrowers.
“Currently, Nigeria is rated from fifth to fourth on the list with $13billion loan.
The World Bank Fiscal Year 2021 audited financial statements, known as the IDA financial statement, rated Nigeria fifth on the list with $11.7 billion IDA debt by 30 June 2021.
But the latest IDA rates Nigeria fourth with $13 billion IDA by 30 June 2022.
“The report stated that Nigeria amassed $1.3 billion IDA debt year-on-year (YoY) alone, taking the fourth debtor position from Vietnam.
“This debt is different from $486 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRC), another arm of the World Bank.
“Analysis of the report showed that the top five countries on the IDA list reduced their debt YoY, except Nigeria. India reduced its debt from $22 billion to $19.7 billion; Bangladesh – from $18.1 billion to $18 billion; Pakistan – from $16.4 billion to $15.8 billion; Nigeria, increased its loan from $11.7 billion to $13 billion while Vietnam reduced its debt from $14.1 billion to $12.9 billion
“The analysis also showed that Nigeria in the fourth place is the biggest IDA debtor in Africa, and the top three (India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) are from Asia. Is this not mind-boggling and shameful?
“While taking loans for infrastructural development and capital development on projects that can repay the loans is economically and strategically sound, the case with Nigeria defies economic analysis as there is no commensurate infrastructural development to the loans and the propensity to pay back is rather imagined than real.
“How low has the ‘Giant of Africa,’ fallen!
Deficit budget
“Another sad occurrence is that The Nigerian government’s deficit spending shot up to N3.09 trillion in the first quarter of 2022, an analysis of Nigeria’s 2022 fiscal performance report for the first quarter of the year has shown.
“The government on Thursday, July 21, released the performance report which showed that the pro rata spending target for the first quarter of the year was N5.77 trillion, while the actual spending as of April 31 was N4.72 trillion.
“On the other hand, as of April 2022, FGN’s retained revenue was only N1.63 trillion, 49% of the pro-rata target of N3.32 trillion, putting the deficit between actual spending and revenues at N3.09 trillion. It means the government likely borrowed to cover the deficit.
A breakdown of the actual spending showed that N1.94 trillion was for debt service, N1.26 trillion for personnel costs, including pensions, and as of April, N773.63 billion had been spent on capital expenditure.
“The government’s 2022 budget was projected to be N17.32 trillion, 18 per cent higher than the 2021 budget. Recurrent (non-debt) spending is estimated to amount to N6.91 trillion, which is 40 per cent of total expenditure, and 20 per cent higher than the 2021 Budget.
“What a wonderful national economic management strategy!!!
“In addition, according to a quarterly public debt portfolio report, released by the Debt Management Office (DMO); Nigeria’s total debt stock rose to N41.6 trillion in the first quarter of 2022, representing a N2.05 trillion increase compared to N39.56 trillion recorded as of December last year. In dollar terms, Nigeria’s debt stock rose to $100.1 billion.
Similarly, Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 23.27% in the first quarter of the year, compared to 22.47% as of December 2022. While this is lower than the self-imposed limit of 40%, the rate is quickening faster, due to increased borrowing and tepid economic growth.
“Nigeria must retrace its steps from this type of financial and economic unsound management. Otherwise, the future of our children and generations yet unborn is being mortgaged.
ASUU Strike
“It is mind-boggling that the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities which commenced on February 14, 2022, dragged on for about eight months. The strike paralysed academic activities and frustrated many students in public universities. Reports also indicated that it led to human capital flight as some lecturers abandoned the nation’s university system in search of better jobs abroad. Previous reports showed that many of such highly rated intellectuals, some of who were trained with public funds, ended up taking menial jobs. What a disgusting and degrading scenario.
“Incessant strikes in the nation’s educational system have also resulted to financial flight as many affluent parents and guardians now send their children and wards respectively abroad or to private universities for education. This education tourism, like its medical counterpart, has put tremendous stress on the nation’s foreign exchange thus leaving the country poorer, adding more pressure to the scarce forex which would have been available for industrial, commercial and other purposes.
“The demands of ASUU from the federal government since 2009 include the revitalisation of public tertiary institutions and payment of earned academic allowances. The lecturers are also demanding the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for payment of university lecturers’ salaries, among others.
“The government should honour the agreement it wilfully reached. Where, however, it is genuinely unable to meet such agreements, it should explain to get the buy-in of ASUU members as to what and how it can meet up. ASUU on its side should also show some understanding of the current financial quagmire. Concerted efforts and sacrifices must be made by all stakeholders to ensure quality public tertiary education and that strikes are avoided. The nation’s education system must not continue to be in shambles.
Unemployment and underemployment
“It is sad that unemployment and underemployment are increasing in our country.
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter, the unemployment rate of Nigeria was 33.3 per cent; youth unemployment was 42.8 per cent; under-employment was 22.8 per cent while youth under-employment was 21.00 per cent.
“This obviously indicates that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder. When it explodes, God forbid, nobody knows who will be affected and who may be spared.
“It is imperative that all stakeholders should synergize to address this challenge.
“Almost every Nigerian want to leave the country for “greener pastures”. Our leaders have simply re-enacted the days of slavery whereby people are not sold to foreign powers but the commonwealth is stolen dry resulting in citizens going into voluntary slavery.
Out-of-school children
“Another gloomy situation is the recent report from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) that the out-of-school children of Nigeria have increased from 13 million to 20 million according to the. This shows that the stupendous amount spent by the federal government under the school feeding programme has not yielded the desired result.
“Is there any wonder that the country is awash with banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, highway robbery, armed conflicts and all other vices that are killing our society?
“It is important to address this challenge as it could escalate insecurity if not addressed.”
The coordinator of the scholarship, Elder Dele Ajiboye, lauded the philanthropists for their magnanimous gesture.
He said, “Humanity on display
“I would like to share this story with us. Of course, it might have gone viral on social media, but it is relevant for us today and even always. It is about an unemployed man who went to attend an interview but was turned down not because he was not qualified but because of his religious inclination. While still with the interviewer, the wife called him to let him know that the children have not eaten all day and that one of them was seriously complaining of stomach pain. Even after hearing this, the interviewer refused to have a change of mind. There were some cartons of noodles in the room but, alas, they were only for members of the religious sect. The interviewer was however kind enough to give the young man, with an engineering degree but who was seeking employment as a security guard, five hundred naira as he was departing.
“The man added this to the little he had on him to purchase some quantity of rice and beans and since there was nothing left for transportation, he decided to walk all the way home. On his way home, the wife called to inform him that the situation of the sick boy was getting worse and had to be rushed to the hospital.
“In his state of confusion, the man did not watch the road properly and was almost run over by a car. The driver packed and watched as the man was frantically gathering the rice and beans that dropped from his hand and are scattered over the tarmac with tears streaming from his eyes. After listening to his story, the driver drove him to his wife at the hospital where she sat helplessly cuddling the young boy that the hospital refused to attend to because the woman had no money. The driver moved with pity, and did not only pay for the sick boy’s treatment but provided some food items for the family.
“The man, once again moved to tears, asked for his benefactor’s name and discovered that they practice different religions. When the man asked him why he did all he had done, the driver replied that it was the right thing to do. He added that he needed not to be a Christian or a Muslim to help another human being and that humanity demands it. The man turned to his wife and told her that they have been visited by an angel.
“Humanity, according to Conan Milner (2022), encompasses grand virtues such as compassion, kindness, and morality. It is the quality of being humane and having a generous disposition towards other people and living beings. Wikipedia describes it as a virtue linked with basic ethics of altruism derived from the human condition and symbolizes human love and compassion towards each other. It highlights the attributes of humanity as love, kindness and social intelligence which are believed to be an integral part of leadership. It considers emotional intelligence as an aspect of social intelligence which enables leaders to better understand their followers thereby enhancing their(leaders) ability to influence them.
“Today, again, we see humanity at play. We see a man and a woman of vision and mission in the person of Engineer Sunday Adebayo Babalola and his wife. We see people who put humanity on as a cloak. We see people who are not deterred by disappointments but is determined to play their part in developing humanity. Engineer Babalola is a man who could have done more if given the opportunity but who is relentless in pursuing his mission to better the lots of people around him not minding the inconsistencies of some of those in whom he has put his trust. And to achieve this, he has chosen to focus on developing people. This is because he strongly believes that education is a strong key to development. Education is life.
“There is this story of a ravishing damsel who almost caused a civil war among siblings because her beauty is ‘out of the world’ some decades ago. The person relaying the story claims that she is still alive today but is very old, spent and without admirers. Regarding this, William Shakespeare wrote –‘And with age, his body uglier grows, so his mind cankers’. Education is not like this lady’s beauty. Its gold glitters forever. Quoting a cleric – Imam Orimadegun– in his sermon at a Muslim burial service at Osogbo not too long ago, while emphasizing the importance of education, he said ‘No one should write off any child, no child should be left behind’. The sage, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, has this to say “I do not want the children of my drivers to be drivers to my children, neither do I want the children of my cooks to be cooks for my children. That is why I want free access to education for all”.
“Since the year 2015, the Bayo and Bunmi Babalola Foundation has been assisting the less privileged in their hundreds to fulfil their dreams of attaining educational excellence in a milieu where most of our governments do not think it the right of commoners to attain quality education, where those at the helms of affairs do not see anything wrong in keeping able-bodied youths idle and unengaged going to eight continuous months. Something that has never happened in the history of this country. Here however is a family duly committed to the well-being of the common people, a family that values education and desires that the generality of the people are enlightened since that is the road to the emancipation of the masses. According to nelson Mandela, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Not only this but quality education is also seen as a ticket to a better future. Malcom X says concerning education: ‘Education is our passport for the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it’. Aristotle considered it as the best tool for old age while Maya Angelou said ‘When you know better, you do better’.
“From the above anyone can understand why someone who means well for the masses will be interested in helping them to be adequately educated and at the same time why those who are only interested in keeping the same masses in perpetual subjugation will do everything within their powers to ensure that these masses do not have easy access to education. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, we need to appreciate the likes of Engineer Babalola for taking giant steps like this. This year just like in 2021 this family is committing a lot of money to assist these secondary and tertiary institution students cutting across four LGAs (Ekiti, Irepodun, Isin and OkeEro). I strongly believe that the money will be judiciously used for the intended purpose and that these beneficiaries will not allow the practice of humanity to end but will join hands with the gems in our society to ensure the well-being of the Nigerian masses.