Education Still Holds Key to Future, Aboderin-Talabi Tells Graduates

Author and education advocate, Mrs. Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, has challenged young Nigerians to reject the growing notion that education is a scam, affirming that quality education remains a powerful tool for personal and national development.

Speaking recently at the prize-giving and graduation ceremony of Dominican College, Mafoluku, Lagos, Aboderin-Talabi, who was the keynote speaker, described education as the gateway to skills such as creativity, civic engagement, innovation, and global relevance.

“When I saw the theme, ‘Education is Not a Scam’, it made me smile. This school is boldly confronting a misleading message being spread online. Don’t be deceived—education offers a lifetime advantage,” she said.

Drawing on examples from successful Nigerians, she urged the students to see formal education as a platform for self-discovery and growth. “To make sure education isn’t a scam in your life, you have to do your part. Your teachers provide the tools, but it’s up to you to build with them,” she added.

The event also featured cultural displays, poetry, and a send-off address by social justice advocate Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, who charged the students to shape their futures with confidence and courage.

Delivering the send-off address titled, ‘The Audacity to Stand Out’, the founder of Spaces for Change, Ibezim-Ohaeri, urged the students to take ownership of their future.

She said, “You now have both the pen and the clay. Use the pen to write the life you want, and the clay to mould yourself into that person. Don’t let anyone bury your dreams, not marriage, not motherhood, not society.”

The highlight of the ceremony was the captivating poetic charge titled, ‘Echoes of the Titans’, by Oluebubechukwu Nwokeoma, an SS3 graduating student, praising her peers’ resilience and determination.

In their remarks, the school principal, Mrs. Ngozi Anozie and school administrator, Rev. Fr. Daniel-Mario Ibezim, encouraged the graduating students to uphold the values of Dominican College as they move forward.