‘When Agege calls, awon omo Agege a gbe’ra; when Agege calls, the eminent sons and daughters of Agege, home and abroad will rise to serve’. This is the clarion call of a community with immense historic significance to Lagos, Southwest, and Nigeria as a whole for all her sons and daughters scattered everywhere to gather to impact people and influence policies in her favour. This is the clarion call of a community which is the cultural melting point for Nigerians of all tribes and religions to come together for development. Agege gbe’ra, Agege rise up!
Having lived in Agege and witnessing the tremendous transformation which had happened in the predominantly agrarian community of the 1980s, a true son of Agege and convener of Agege Renewed Hope Movement, Mr. Taiwo Olasunkanmi Samuel in an exclusive chat with Trek Africa Newspaper affirms that it is time to do more for the goodwill of the culturally relevant and historically important city of Agege. With his massive impact in education, real estate, business, and philanthropy, Mr. Taiwo Olasunkanmi Samuel believes more can be done with more culture shapers who are drawn from the same community – Agege, a city they all call home.
Truly so, for a community which has produced the likes of the 3-term Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa; the Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani; the CEO of Sujimoto Construction, Sijibomi Ogundele; music star, Small Doctor; sports star, Stephen Odey; among others, Agege can definitely achieve more, Trek Africa Newspaper can report.
Agege Renewed Hope Movement is a sociopolitical group which comprises of passionate and eminent personalities of Agege extraction in their respective spheres of influence conglomerating to ensure that Agege being a multicultural, economically viable, multi-religious, and politically conscious hub should continue to enjoy the development, unity, and peace which it is known for.
Agege Renewed Hope Movement is a sociopolitical group of thought leaders and change agents who are set out to be the voice for the voiceless, the hope for the hopeless, and the help for the helpless within Agege in particular and beyond the land.
Agege Renewed Hope Movement is a clarion call to serve for all eminent sons and daughters of Agege who have been, in one way or another, impacted by the community and have moved on to prominence both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. This is what is on the mind of the Proprietor of SAMDOL Private School, Mr. Taiwo Olasunkani Samuel.
Born and bred in Agege himself and having worked tirelessly for the development in Agege in various aspects including education, real estate, and economy, Mr. Taiwo Olasunkanmi Samuel spoke to Trek Africa Newspaper about his background, his passion, the Agege Renewed Hope Movement, and more in his office at SAMDOK Private School, Agege, Lagos.
Trek Africa: Tell us briefly about your background?
Mr. Taiwo: I was born in Agege, Gbogunlere jìì, in Isale oja and I also schooled in Agege. I attended Central Primary School Oniwaya, and after my first-leaving certificate, I proceeded to Anwarul Islam College in Agege. After that, I proceeded for my ND and HND in Electrical Electronic in Yaba College of Technology.
So right from my childhood I have been in Agege. What I cannot forget about Agege then is that it is a new settlement in those days when I was growing up. Most of the places today that are wonderful and beautiful were just farm settlement where farmers are in those days. Vetland is a place where cattle rearers are in those days. Capitol road and Alfa nla were just a small narrow road in those days when we were going to school in Oniwaya but today, Agege is a big city, a city beautiful to behold but it was not like this in those days, 40 years ago.
Trek Africa: How did you start your work life?
Mr. Taiwo: I told you that I schooled in Agege and all my life, my achievement, my success, everything is all about Agege. When I finished my secondary school, I taught in many tutorial centres like AUS tutor, FOBIM, and others. Then, I think in 1995 I have to start my own lesson in Agege and by 2002 we have to convert it to a school called Grace Children School in those days and at the point of registration we have to change it to SAMDOK Private School.
Trek Africa: Tell us more about the SAMDOK Private School?
Mr. Taiwo: SAMDOK Private School is a low cost school that helps the less-privileged children that their parent could not afford high-end schools. They come here and still have quality education. There are some children that were given scholarship. Even till today, we give scholarship to children that we know that their parents could not afford to send them to school. Many children have been taught who are now in different human endeavors and some are out of the country.
I have precious memories from these children. First of all, I was so much excited when one of my pupils then became the senior prefect in Government College in Agege. I was so much excited when one of my pupils who went to UNILAG came out with first class. He did his Masters degree in University of Ibadan. Another one was a day when I went to GTB and the queue was so long but I just see someone calling for my attention and said please come and I move closer to her and she said can you recognize me, I said no and she said I am Akinbo Elizabeth and she said I know you are my proprietor in SAMDOK Private School. I was so excited, right in the bank and she attended to me, you know I was so much excited. These are memories which give me joy and make me proud to be a teacher.
Trek Africa: What are you doing to impact lives in Agege which is different from SAMDOK Private School?
Mr. Taiwo: Apart from impacting lives educationally, I have been able to impact the life of people in Agege community in other ways. I am the Convener of Agege Renewed Hope Movement which comprises of Agege sons and daughters both home and abroad. Agege Renewed Hope Movement is a sociopolitical group of thought leaders and change agents who are set out to be the voice for the voiceless, the hope for the hopeless, and the help for the helpless within Agege in particular and beyond the land.
During the festive periods, we were able to give different people various food items, money and even during the last Sallah we were able to touch many lives with the support of all the eminent sons and daughters of Agege who are with us on the platform of Agege Renewed Hope Movement.
I am the Chairman of Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) in Agege and being the Chairman we are able to have an estate where all the members, those who even thought that they can never have anything, were able to get their own site.
I am also the Vice President of Anwarul Islam College Old Student Association (ACAOSA) my old student secondary school association and we are impacting lives there too. In our Anniversary coming up in soon we are able to purchase projector for the school. These are ways of touching lives in Agege.
Trek Africa: With all these achievements what more do you still want to do?
Mr. Taiwo: There is always more to do. If I can achieve this much as an individual, imagine what we can do as a group. That’s the essence of Agege Renewed Hope Movement. It is a clarion call to serve and promote Agege. We would like to impact our politics, our policies, our economy, and all spheres. We will continue to do more as we have the opportunity to impact our beloved Agege on a wider scale at the LGA level, state level, national level, and internationally.
Trek Africa: What spurs your strong passion for Agege?
Mr. Taiwo: If arranged alphabetically, you will see that Agege is number one, and in all areas of life Agege comes first, talk of sport, Agege is number one, we have Taye Taiwo, we have Obafemi Martins, we have Orobo, all this people came from Agege. If you talk of politics Agege is still number one because we have prominent politicians from Agege and currently, one of the best speakers we’ve ever had is in Agege, our own Rt. Hon. Dr Mudashiru Obasa, is in Agege. So with this shows that Agege is number one and others might be seeing something else about Agege but as far as I’m concerned I see an Astonishing Agege, I see a Greater Agege, I see an Excellent Agege, a Gallant Agege and an Exceptional Agege.
