By Enitan Abdultawab
National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has said his life experience and practical knowledge have given him greater understanding than many university graduates despite his lack of formal education.
Speaking recently at the 50th birthday celebration of Islamic singer Hafsat Adegoke and the unveiling of her new album in Alausa, Lagos, MC Oluomo reflected on his humble beginnings as a teenage bus conductor and the journey that led him to the leadership of the transport union.
“I didn’t enter the NURTW as a bastard. I learnt the work, mastered it and got to where I am today. I didn’t go to school, but the knowledge and understanding I have in my head are greater than those held by people with degrees,” he said.
He recalled earning his own money from an early age while helping his family.
“I’ve been spending money since I was 13 years old. I worked as a conductor from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. I would go to Danjuma Cinema to watch Indian movies with my own money, and I still took money home for my mother to buy food,” he said.
MC Oluomo also pointed to the achievements of his children as proof that, although he missed out on formal education, he prioritised education for his family.
“If I am uneducated, glory be to God. Today, my children are a doctor, a lawyer and an engineer, and they are in America. May God not allow our children to die young,” he said.
He further stressed the importance of fathers taking responsibility for their families.
“Any man who does not take care of his children is an enemy of God,” MC Oluomo said.
The NURTW president lamented that many women have become the primary providers in their homes because some husbands have abandoned their responsibilities, while also criticising men who prioritise children outside their marriages over their immediate families.
