 You're welcome back. It is said that it is not the population that determines how great a nation can be But how many people are educated in that country? And so at this moment we're looking at the role of education in Nigeria's economic development And we're glad to have joining us Aluko Joshua global great people foundation president. Good morning and welcome to the program Good morning. Thank you for having me also. Thank you. Okay Let's begin with what role the education plays in your perspective to the growth of the nation, especially a nation like Nigeria All right. Thank you so much for having me here. Yes, education basically is the backdrop of any developed society Because when you're talking about development, they are talking about growth And if you're talking about Google growth cannot happen without knowledge without insight You know, I mean we talked about the industrial revolution and them where you're talking about industrial revolution We talked about, you know the prior explosion of knowledge during those times So basically there is no good without knowledge and that is where education comes in because education is not just about The four walls of you know going through the four walls of a particular building But it's about the content of what takes place there, which is, you know, the impact of knowledge So with knowledge comes growth with knowledge comes increase and with knowledge comes sustainability No society has ever tried or ever grown or ever, you know, made progress Without first having the knowledge, the consciousness of the possibilities that lies ahead and how to take advantage of it So this is how education works Okay, my interest in you before you came on the program is the fact that a young man like you No matter how enterprising, but a young man like you has taken interest in sponsoring or giving scholarship Or paying school fees of students in even tertiary institutions And it just made me wonder how do you do this Okay, well, thank you so much Let's start with what inspired you Okay, thank you so much Well, I would say number one, my number one inspiration is God and his love for humanity And I also remember when I was in school that was I think 200 level I remember that there was a particular case of two students in my university Who had serious issues with the tuition fees So for some reason the cost rep as at that time reached out to me and told me, hey Joshua Can you please help these two ladies to raise funds They need money for the tuition fees and they need money for upkeep And it's really things are really terrible for them So I said, okay, no problem So I stood in front of the class and I spoke to all of them I appealed to them to donate to help the students And so the donation went into my account as at that time And we reached out to our parents and all that And in fact it was so bad that one of these particular girls Could not afford money for sanitary part And she was on her period So she had blood stains on her chair where she sat And it was pretty embarrassing So we raised this money We made payments for the 12 of them And that's I did know that that as at that time was a signal for me Of what I was able to do or major in the nearest future So from then on it just kind of There was an outburst of consciousness and put it that way And by the time I got to 400 level I was writing my project As at that time I had already started making findings about How to help more students as a matter of fact I remember Getting a group of students together We printed this little flyer to reach out to students on campus The rating for students who are on the verge of dropping out of school And it was a very defining moment for my life Because it totally changed the course of my life I suddenly left school not thinking of what I could get from the society I left school thinking of what I could give And by the time I was leaving school I had already started doing that And that basically just followed me And it influenced every of my decision the kind of friends I make The kind of conversations I engage in And from then on it's just been beautiful to see what I mean What God is doing in the lives of youth around the country And even outside the country as well so yes That's my inspiration So you are the local GoFundMe as it were Okay but so far how many people have you been able to impact I'm taking it personally to you because I need to show people That it is possible to think of others more than you think of yourself So if you could do it as a young man Then there are a lot of other people that could do it So that the cries in the society may lessen So I'll be asking you personal things that you do in your space To make sure that people get to know more that things like these are possible So how many people have you been able to reach out to Now it is not your thing I see that you are having a global great people foundation You are the president, gang gang But you know you have a team around you So this team of yours How many people have you been able to reach And how do you select the people that become beneficiaries Alright thank you so much Yes so since 2015 we registered officially with popular affairs in 2015 So from 2015 till last night We had sponsored 1,411 students since 2015 So last night we met for another student The student is from the University of Abuja So we have sponsored 1,411 So far we have a project, an ongoing project In which we are raising funds for a thousand students From 50 different institutions in the country So once that is done that will be released at least by October So once we do that We will be having over 2,000, maybe 2,500 students But so far 1,411 students We also have, yes Now sometimes when I go to the internet and see somebody telling me I will come and I will show you how to make money As a Nigerian I am like ok Nigerians don't say that What they say when you ask them how they are making money They say now go and do So this question I am going to ask you I don't know how you are going to take it But if it is possible for others to also do what you do Because I believe it's not because you want to make a name But because you want to help humanity But you cannot do it alone You are not the only Nigerian that can do this If somebody person wants to enter into that kind of a space And do something that you are doing What does it take? What do you do? To raise the money and to get things done the way you are doing it Okay, thank you very much sir So yes, if you want to enter into this kind of ministry Because it's a ministry, it's not a business It's a ministry and you are basically ministering to human needs So if you want to enter into this kind of ministry Then first you must be resolute as to why you are going into it If you want to do it and be pure You want to do it and be innocent Maybe I should use that word Then you have to be resolute, you have to know that Okay, I am going into this to help humanity I am putting my life on the line for this And I am using the word life on the line Because there are times that you would have to make sacrifices Especially in the early stages Of growth People are not going to follow you If you are not sure that you believe in your own vision And one of the easiest ways to prove that you believe in your own vision Is by personal sacrifices So you would have to sacrifice your comfort You have to be ready to sacrifice certain things That others might not want to Just to see it go I remember the early days of GPA Then some of the students that we paid for I would get jobs outside Outside GPA I mean I have personal things I do I would do those jobs Get the money, get paid And use the money to help the students Before a student practically speaking And the truth is I wouldn't even know Where my next meal would come from I mean God sustain me But I wouldn't know at that time when it would come from So if you want to do this kind of thing And do it rightly Then you have to have that consciousness And then of course you would have to get knowledge On how to run an NGO The way you run an NGO is quite different From the way you run a profit making business And you would have to Study maybe affiliate with other NGOs That are into something similar that you're doing Network with them Then you have to know how to Get partners And retain partners Because when you're talking about stuff like this You are talking about a whole lot of money Hoped into it So you have to have base for that money You have to have source for funds And I mean the source of funds I mean channels of funds are humans So you would have to know human relationship How to interact with people How to get people to believe in what you believe in And then you have to be ready to give them pool You have to be ready to be transparent So doing this kind of thing You cannot really be so private Because a lot of people want to know What money is being used for And you have to give reasons You have to give them I mean if you are using the money for what you see You're using it for Then you should be able to show it That's why whenever we pay for students We post it out there We post the details out there So anyone could verify it We have our own database You know all those things Just to show that Okay we are actually using the money For what we see we are using it for And over time We discover that the trust level increases And the more trust level increases That's what people do Because people want to help But they just want to be sure That their money and their resources Are being used for the right reason And of course you have to have your own Administrative system Build your administrative system And be patient Don't try to do too much at once Because you will thin out You see Understand that the problem was there Before you came So you want to be here long enough To attend to more of the problems And prefer solution So take it a step at a time Build your capacity Don't take too much that you can handle once And then let's go do the rest Does your funding come locally Or internationally? Okay so yes Currently locally But now we also have I mean in the beginning locally But then we also currently have Partners from outside the country Who now you know fund us But up until this moment Even outside the country We are talking about private individuals Outside the country So we have We are just basically And that's the beautiful thing I mean private individuals Within and outside the country And we help almost 1,000 High for rest students In tertiary institutions That's quite a lot So it is just now that we are Now that we have more than enough Evidence of our work Our programs we've had about I think 56 programs Since 2015 And most of them have been Major programs So now we have enough evidence To launch out And reach out to international organizations But so far funding has come From private individuals Both locally and internationally Then a couple of corporate organizations Within the country Okay it's interesting to know But now if you were to advise The government on policies to make From your experience with the people Who you help Because they will give you Particular problems or peculiar problems From your pool of knowledge Of you interacting with these people What kind of policies do you think The government should make Especially now that we have A new government What kind of policies do you think They should make To make sure that some of these Problems that you address You wouldn't even have a need To address them Okay I believe that The government is already doing A lot because some of those Students with no students That they got grants From the government Or the government Or something So yes we know that They are doing something But I think I would like the government To have a credible Committee That would look into The issue of Dropout in the country Because there are quite many And maybe prefer A workable solution When I mean a workable solution It's going to be Maybe student loan That they would pay off After graduation Maybe working for A particular ministry Or something That would have been fantastic So there's already a system For them to work it out And make payments fantastic Just like you have in other Countries You have access to student loans And these loans can be paid Of maybe Looks like I said You're working And then of course Grants could also be given To students Because it's not as ridiculous As it would sound It's not every one of them That can really work We have students That we paid for That are special students When I mean special students We're talking about handicaps And all that So what they want to read They want to study And that will improve Their general output In society So yes Once the government Looks into that area Maybe have a particular Committee That looks into This matter in detail And they are transparent About it And then There's provision For more student loans There's provision For grants That would definitely Go a long way Because these youths Youths are very energetic And if you Don't channel that energy Positively It will stick the channel Anyway And it may not be favorable For the society So the more we have The government Looking into education I mean Education comes good And we all want Both our development The more government Looks into that The better society Would have In general Okay So just a final word To the students In Nigeria And the parents You know You've interacted with them And you know What their worries Are What their fears are So we'd just like To take a word from you To the students And would be students That are out there And just being afraid Of going into A tertiary institution Because they feel They may not be able To make it Alright So every student Out there Or would be students I would say that Do not give up On your dreams Do not give up On your aspirations There's really No dream too high To attain There's really No vision Too high For you to To achieve Look back 150, 200 years ago It was ridiculous To say that Man would fly You see But today we have Air bosses that can Take up to 800 people Can you imagine that Flying in the air For hours I mean Literally hours You know And that's because Someone dared to believe That it's possible So if something like That could be possible Then your dreams Of education Having You know Raising from school Getting a good job They are not far-fetched at all They are within The confines of reality If you look at it that way So you press on Now If you are not in school yet And you want to go to school And you know that You don't have the means Of income Start planning on it Start working on something Don't Don't be the kind of Youth that would wake up It's 9 a.m. in the morning When you know You have that kind of Challenge in front of you Don't do that And meditate Plan on your time See what you can do See problems you can solve In your neighborhood That would fetch you money There's money everywhere really But you have to do for It needs to meet it It doesn't matter how Ridiculously low That what may be It would fetch you As long as it's legal And it's right It will fetch you resources That you need to prepare for What's your next level Of achievement And if you are in school already And for some reason You are facing You can reach out to us You can reach out to GPF The Great People Foundation.org That's our website Or when you check the website You see our number there Reach out to us We could enroll you in the Scholarship scheme For the next batch However You can While doing that You can also Decent in principle Start thinking of ways To meet needs Even in your school It would amaze you Listen I'm telling you Are things we've told On the graduates You know in schools And it has worked for them They've been able to Even raise money Not just for their schools To start businesses Within the school Because opportunities are everywhere But if you are If you are so In combat with your problem It clouds your thinking And you think The whole world Is crashing down on you Meanwhile You just need to Put your problem Aside a little bit And look around you Look for solutions to problems Be that solution to problems Look for services You can render That will fetch you good money And get knowledge Even read It will amaze you What will happen But regardless of What the situation is The whole point is Do not give up The regret of not doing What you are supposed to do In time Is way much more worse Than feeling Thank you Thank you so much For those words So after this Nobody should say My uncle did not Help me He's a politician He's a rich man He did not help me Because you have everything In your hands You can do What you believe That you can do We'd like to thank you So much, Joshua For coming on the show This morning Thank you So thank you for having me Thank you Well, that was Aloko Joshua Global great people Foundation president And he was sharing With us some of his Experiences and how He's been interacting With people who Almost dropped out Of school But has been able To help Why he was here Is to make You know That when you leave Your life You can give You can cut Small soap For others As we say in Nigeria Okay, he has been able To do that From his mega resources You too can It's either You do You be the Joshua In your community Or you help the Joshua In your community To help others Like they say In one of the missions And Patrick's mission You either give To the mission By going To the mission By giving There's always something You can do To better the life Of the next man Remember that education Is the most powerful Weapon which You can use To change the world That is according To Nelson Let me take That again Education is The most powerful Weapon which You can use To change the world And the more Educated people That you have The more Unfit To enslave People Understand that If someone is educated enough He is unfit To be a slave We don't want to be slaves We don't want to raise slaves We want to raise people Who are confident in themselves And are ready To make our world To work Especially this Nigeria We need them So wherever you are Whatever you're doing Be sure you do it well Know that you're right In what you're doing Then continue God will help us We have reached that point In our pledge That we say God help us So help me God That's the point we are So let's believe in God That things will get better While we do the work That we are capable of doing Until we meet again tomorrow My name is Nyam Gul Aggaji It's been a pleasure having you And on behalf of the entire team I say thank you