As the first lady of Lagos, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through her New Era Foundation, pioneered the idea of the ‘Spelling Bee’ competition to help promote academic excellence among public secondary school students in the state.
That idea, with the support of her husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, became the foundation of the ‘One-Day-Governor’ initiative that has continued to inspire public secondary school students in the state for more than two decades.
In 2001, Ebuka Anisiobi from Kosofe Local Government became the first winner of the competition—his emergence, after a highly competitive spelling-bee contest, set the ball of the life-changing program. “The platform (Spelling Bee) gave me a platform to aspire for a life that I have never dreamt about”, Ebuka noted in an interview.
Again in 2002, Otti Ovuewhorie, a 16-year-old student equally emerged the winner of the spelling competition and was made the One-Day Governor of the state, plus an all-expense paid trip to Finland. Another student, Miss Mariam Busari, in 2007 emerged the winner of the Spelling Bee competition and led the country’s commercial city for a day. The last winner of the competition, Abdulazeez Abdulrahmon, hailed from Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu.
To help sustain the program, organizers have had to institutionalize it with a view to ensuring it can withstand political shocks and continue to offer public school students the platform to compete academically and intellectually with their counterparts across the world. In Oyo State, a House of Representatives member, Hon. Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, aka ‘Ibarapakan’, has taken that initiative to his constituency, where public secondary students once competed keenly and into the hollow chamber of the House of Representatives, where the winner of that contest, a 15-year-old Miss. Suliat Adeola Haruna graciously stepped into the Green Chamber on the 27th November, 2025.
For Ms. Suliat and her parents, that moment will be permanently etched into their memory. They will never forget that epochal moment in a hurry. Anyone who has advocated for academic excellence would not blink twice in appreciating and acknowledging the rare opportunity offered by Honorable Adepoju, whose time in the House has changed the narrative of representation and lawmaking not only for his constituency but for the country at large.
In effect, anyone who has followed the Honorable’s giant strides would attest to his focused leadership and quality representation. His scorecards are there in the public for verification. In fact, that one-day House of Representatives member only reflects his commitment not only to education but to the overall growth of youth demography.
By offering students of his constituency the platform to shine academically and be honored in the country’s highest legislative body, Hon. Adepoju has redefined what effective representation and the upliftment of the younger ones imply. In a country where class is almost everything, that rare gesture of having his constituency members inside the Green Chamber on the account of academic excellence will continue to be a reference point both in the constituency and beyond.
Of course, the implications of that contest for both the present and future generations will continue to be felt in years to come. For one thing, that remarkable display of leadership reminded me of my time at the National Assembly earlier this year as well. In March, I, alongside some other eminent young Nigerians, was offered an all-expense paid trip to Abuja to participate at the Public Hearing on the contentious Tax Reforms Bills of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That trip was sponsored by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, the chairman of the House Committee on Youths in the Parliament, who equally represents the people of Ogbomoso North, South, and Orire Federal Constituency.
Interestingly, the selection process for the public hearing wasn’t a walk in the park. Last year, a tweet attached with a survey by the Honorable Akala’s verified X handle called for young Nigerians to share their thoughts about the Tax Reforms Bills. As one of his followers, I swiftly made my perspective known in plain, simple, and concise language. Months later, I got a message to prepare for a trip to Abuja for the public hearing. The public hearing, I got to know, was a follow-up to the one organized by the leadership of the National Assembly to allow Nigerians to express themselves regarding the bills that generated heated debates along our country’s fault lines.
As the chairman of the youth in the parliament committee, Hon. Akala, in his wisdom, ensured that the burgeoning youth demography not only had a say but was allowed to shape the conversation around the bills. In my takeaway, I noted that my inaugural visit to the National Assembly complex felt like a homecoming, having served as a student representative council member while in the university. Apart from the incredibly rewarding nature of the public hearing, my perspective on what public leadership entails equally shifted. From that opportunity, I emerged wiser and smarter when dealing with public-spirited issues, like the Tax Reforms Bill that has now been assented to by the President.
By conducting Ms. Haruna through the National Assembly complex, where she deliberated in a House oversight, met with the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and the likes of Muhammed Bello El-Rufai, Akin Alabi, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyeshina Oyedeji, and Honorable Adepoju has set a template that will continue to serve not only as a benchmark for purposeful representation but unwavering commitment to inspiring the next generation of leaders, regardless of their creed, color, or class.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
