The Chief Executive Officer of His Majesty Global Schools, Ido L.G.A, Ibadan, Oyo State and Senior Programme and Project Officer of the African Academy of Language (ACALAN), African Union specialised language agency, Dr. Babajide Ojo Johnson has disclosed his plans towards eradicating joblessness after graduation and how language can be used as economic development in the country among other issues.

His Majesty Global Schools is one of the fastest growing Schools in the South Western Nigera that prepares students for the future academically, morally and uprightly.

In an exclusive interview with CEOAFRICA correspondent, Dr. Ojo who spoke about his vision and where he hoped to see His Majesty Global Schools in the next five years, said “As I sat down there in the hall looking at what was going on, the vision started coming back that, this is College is programmed to be a "College of Technology". We are just taking it gradually because when we talk about technology, it is not just something we would take from the top, we have to take it from the grass root and that is why we started with the primary and moved to secondary .We have introduced them to ICT. In the next five years, by the grace of God, we hope to have His Majesty Medical Centre running  Medical Technology section where students will be trained on how to do medical checks. The proposal is on; we have the site ready in the school compound. We are thinking that we would gradually move the children from Primary to Secondary and they will graduate after that, any of them can go to the University and read Medicine if they want.Our projection is that we have the Medical training centre and we do other ICT training too. That is just our vision for now; we are not stopping at the Secondary School level”.

Speaking further while describing education as a powerful weapon to change the world, the Senior Programme and Project Officer of the African Academy of Language said “In one of my write ups, I put it there that ‘for us to affect the kind of change we want in the world, our education must be sound. The reason is, there is no nation in the world that can grow beyond its education. One of the reasons we are coming into the education sector is that, I have travelled the world; I have seen what is happening in other places. China for instance, China don’t just become what they are overnight. I had the opportunity of studying in china and I saw the way they started their own reform and development programme. It gives me a kind of courage, energy and it embroidens my vision.  When I came back from my training in china, we started the school to model it after what I saw because all these things being produced that we are importing and you see students where they produced them, you will be challenged. We are made to understand that if you don’t possibly have language education, you might not be able to do these things. The first thing they did for us was to teach us how to speak Chinese so that we would be able to go into the core thing of what the Chinese people are exposed to and that is exactly what I am trying to  replicate here. I teach the children the language of the land which is Yoruba language. I look at it that in the world today, for you to become something there is the need for you to learn the language of other people. So I brought in expert to teach them French so that their education will not be limited to Nigeria as they can go elsewhere and do other things anywhere. I was in Tanzania last month and I met with the Executive Secretary of the Kiswahili Development Commission and i told him what I have on ground. He is already preparing teachers to come here to teach children Kiswahili language internationally in Africa. The reason why we are doing that is, already we have English when we meet at the commonwealth, we used English, these children will be able to perform; at the French world they will be able to perform and they come to Africa, we are talking about the language of development in Africa as Kiswahili and they can meet up too. This is the essence of educating our children in these areas and why I have made our curriculum here a bit comprehensive so that they are not only able to perform here but are able to compete with their mates in other countries”.

In his statement about language as a tool for economic development in Africa, he said “I agreed that language serves as a tool for economic development. I worked in Language institution at the African Union. With my experience in China for instance, If I was not told this, I may not know; the core developmental programme of China, we will not be exposed to it if we cannot understand their language; we will only know the peripherals which is not the best but if you really want to go deeper you will really need to learn the Chinese language. It occurred to me that there is a particular key you use to lock your technology which you do not want people to know about, that’s your language. If we want Nigeria to develop technologically, we either buy; we steal it or develop our own. We have, but the problem we have is we cannot develop, preserve or conserve our own technology because the white man came, took our language from us and they gave us their own just because we don’t have secret. Chinese has the secret because their own language is there. If you want to know the secret you have to learn the language and it is not easy to learn the Chinese language that is why today, they are beating everybody to it. So, language is so essential in the sense that it makes us to conserve what we have and to lock it; so if you  come to learn what I have, you first learn my language or you pay for it. Once you give me the money, am growing and I am having economic power; then i can control you. That is what China is doing today to control the world through language power and the ability to be unique of which American has not been able to break which they are even indebted to China. This is my own essence of wanting to develop the same pattern here. Whether the government participate or not, my own essence is to see these children compete favourably with children in the other parts of the world that is why am bringing the language dimension into it”.

On the hardship of getting job after graduation from institutions in the country, he said “It is our orientations from the beginning that after school we must look for white collar job or salary job. Yes! It is normal because we spent money while going to school and we want to re-equip the money back. When you talk about development, it is not only limited to government jobs as there are other things people can do. My advice would be that our education should be made functional, functional in the sense that; it is not only tide to look in for jobs, you can create job yourself like what you are doing now as journalists, am so happy. You don’t wait for anybody or the government to engage you before you engage yourself. So, if education is made functional like this we can diversify and go into other areas. The essence of education is just to open the door and once the door is opened you can decide to choose any area or field you want. For instance, our actors and actresses; Funke Akindele, Falz, Femi Adebayo were all trained lawyers, some of them have Masters Degree in thier course of study. Look at Helen Paul, she had different Masters Degree and PhD, you don’t see her waiting for the government; she is a comedian and she is making it. These are the things I feel education should empower people to do. Education should make us to be functional member of the society, to create, bring your creativity to work. Though, it is still good that the government should open up the employment sector to employ youth and make them to be functional members of the society. However, I wouldn’t say it is the fault of the government or individuals because everybody must be educated”.

Dr. Ojo however advised the graduating students to always try and make it to the top because in the sky, there is enough space.

“Somebody told me then when I was finishing my College of Education that ‘My brother don’t stop here o because when you look at the space in the sky there are lots of space, its free but below is where we struggle’. My advice for them is that they should try and make it to the top because right at the top, call it education or anything; it is free but we only struggle at te lower level. I would be very happy if they can take their struggle to the top,” he said.