By Sunday Ani
On July 27, 2025, Phidel College, Isheri-Idimu in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, as usual, rolled out the drums at its 11th graduation ceremony for the 2024/25 academic session.
It was an occasion to celebrate and honour 53 outstanding ‘Class of 2025,’ who the founder of the college, Pastor Ayodele Adelusi, referred to as record breakers.
Students of Phidel College have consistently smashed the academic ceiling in various internal, external and international examinations like the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), Intermediate General Certificate for Senior Education (IGCSE) Exams, and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Exams, among others.
This time, they did not disappoint as they came out tops in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), with the highest among them scoring 309, and in the Intermediate General Certificate for Senior Education (IGCSE) Exams, where they equally proved their mettle.
The event started at noon with the graduating students donning their best attires and beaming with smiles as the school’s management, staff, students, family and friends gathered to celebrate them. The males neatly appeared in uniform designer suits, while the ladies also appeared elegantly and flamboyantly in similar black gowns made of lace material in different designs and styles.
It was their day and they did not leave anybody in doubt. They marched gorgeously and psychedelically into the hall alongside their teachers, led by the principal, Mr Olalekan Olowolaiyemo, just to underscore the importance of the event.
Guests from far and wide graced the event to say goodbye to the students as they leave the college, and to give them pieces of advice on how to navigate through the vagaries of life outside the college.
Mr Olowolaiyemo set the ball rolling with his welcome address, when he told the audience that in the last six years, the school had witnessed noteworthy academic achievements and celebrated the graduating class in athletics and other external competitions. “We have acquired knowledge, friendship and laughter. We have faced and surmounted challenges. It has been a journey of learning and shared experience that had berthed positive growth. We have persevered in the face of obstacles and we have imbibed the spirit of unity in classroom and outside. These are made possible by our staff. Their unflinching commitment and dedication to duty has been the cornerstone of our success,” he said.
He reminded the students that they were moving into another phase of life where they would be masters of themselves. He urged them to avoid anything that would bring shame to them and their families. He said: As you move on to various universities, always remember the children of who you are. Remember you will be alone and everything you do in secret will come out in public. So, if you don’t want to be put to shame, you should be careful of your action. You need to be careful with the friends you choose.
“Don’t follow the multitude to confuse your identity. Be the light in darkness. Know who you are and remember there will be nobody to be blamed for your actions but you. I pray that as you move on today, God will continue to be with you. I pray you will make use of all that you have been taught. I pray that your aspirations lead you to new horizon.”
Also in his address, the chairman of the occasion, Taye Ige, commended the founder of Phidel College, Pastor Philip Adelusi, whose doggedness, vision and ideas made the event possible.
He told the students that they were moving to a higher ground, and they should be prepared for the challenges that would come with it.
“For you to be able to climb and get to a higher level in life; you must be prepared for the challenges on the way. It is always a fewer people that get there because those who cannot overcome the challenges will fall by the way. You will not be among those that will fall by the way side because you have been prepared intellectually, morally and physically,” he said
He told them that it is only the lazy, the recalcitrant and people that find it difficult to listen to their teachers that will fall by the way. He also reminded them that the certificate they acquired from Phidel College is only a means for them to move to the higher level of education but not the end. “You must define yourself at that level because nobody has time to come to you to know whether you are coming to the class or not.
“The result of hard work is more work. The hardest academic work that you have been exposed to here is just the beginning of where you are going. Make your parents proud. The higher ground is for a few and you are counted among the few. Don’t rest on your oars.
“People have overcome the challenges successfully, so you can also overcome. Be good ambassadors of the school. Make your parents proud. The university is a different world. The era of pampering ends here. Identify one or two persons as your role model in the profession you want to go into,” he advised.
He also announced a donation of N250,000 to the principal and staff of the College in appreciation of the wonderful work that they are doing.
In his keynote address, the guest speaker, Professor Abidogun Babajide Gboyega told the students that they had started another career journey in life, urging them to be careful about what they do at this age in their lives. “Don’t be distracted, especially in the university. It is a different world entirely where nobody cares whether you attended class, wrote assignments or not. You must always be cautious that you have a mission to be somebody in life,” he said.
He also advised them to choose their career wisely. “In whatever you find yourselves, ensure that you excel. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Be an entrepreneur; learn a skill. The era of white collar jobs is gone,” he said
He equally advised them that education, contrary to what many youths believe today, is not a scam but a means to an end. “Be focused. Be responsible citizens. Don’t get involved in fraud or any kind of criminality. Be determined and resilient and you will prevail.”
He also advised parents to allow their children to choose their careers. “Just guide them,” he added.
On his part, Pastor Adelusi was all praises to God, without whom he could not have actualized his dreams. He decried the situation in the country but expressed confidence that things would get better in the nearest future. He noted that the challenge of running a school in today’s economic in Nigeria has become so daunting but expressed hope that Phidel College had come to stay and would continue to walk tall and strong.
He extolled the principal’s hard work, describing his dedication as incredible and unequalled. He also lauded the dedication of the staff, academic and non-academic, and urged them not to relent but to sustain the tempo. “Your dedication and focus has shown that you have impacted on the students. Your weekend commitments and sacrifices are not in vain. God will reward you immensely,” he said
He described the graduating students as the best set who never gave the school any kind of trouble since its establishment. “They are so special,” he added.
He appreciated the parents for their support and pledged the commitment of the school to live up to its ideal of producing record breakers.
He also revealed that the College would be starting a foundation programme next year. This, according to him, would offer an opportunity for those who are not up to 16 years at graduation to spend additional one or two years and eventually gain admission into 200-level in the universities in America, Canada, UK, Island, other European countries and all over the world.
Talking to the graduation students, he said: “Today, you are being celebrated. You are going to the next level where you will be on your own. Nobody is coming to wake you up and ask you if you have gone to class or not and whether you have done your assignment or not. Nobody will stop you from going out if you want to go out but you have to ask yourselves questions. You are gaining independence today. Don’t destroy what you have built over the years.”
He advised the students not to join any group that would not add value to their lives. “Don’t let anybody lead you into drugs or cultism. And to the girls specifically, don’t join any group that will go out at night. Don’t say because your parents are not there you are free to do whatever you like.
“Failure is part of life. To fail is not the problem. Every successful businessman you see today has failed at one point or the other, but what people do after that failure is what determines how far they can go in life,” he stated.
He encouraged the students to rise and shine because the Glory of God will manifest in them. “Be dedicated. Hard work doesn’t kill. It is lack of hard work that destroys life. Every journey that is too straight will always lead to calamity. So, be cautious of the choices you make. You have now secured your independence and you must not forget all the lessons that you have received from this College,” he stated.
However, it was also a harvest of awards as those who distinguished themselves in all the subjects being offered in the school proudly filed out to receive their awards.
At the end of the day, 16-year-old Olowolaiyemo Oluwatosin carted away awards as best student in Physics, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Biology, English Language, Civic Education and Agricultural Science, to emerge the overall best student.
She won the founder, Pastor Adelusi’s N100,000 prize for the overall best student, while Obende Onomeyimi took away the founder’s N50,000 prize for best student in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, (UTME) having score 309 in the recently released JAMB exams results.
Speaking on her success, Oluwatosin said it all started with the determination she had when she entered the senior secondary school class. “I was determined to be the best, so I worked hard and really focused on my studies. It is said that SS1 and SS2 are the bedrock of secondary school foundation, so I had already worked hard in my SS1 and 2, and that made my SS3 very easy. The SS3 was like a revision for me. I invested a lot of my time and energy in those years trying to make sure I made a mark for myself in secondary school.”
Expressing her gratitude, she also said: “I have always had the zeal for academic excellence. I feel very good and proud of myself. I want to study medicine at university.”
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