Abiola Ajimobi, governor of Oyo state, on Tuesday said he washed dead bodies throughout his eight years of schooling abroad.
Speaking at a south-west youths regional summit in Osogbo, Osun state capital, Ajimobi said without doing so he would not have been able to raise his tuition fees.
He said his parents only sent him 30 dollars all through his stay abroad, adding that he had to look for a way to survive.
“I left Nigeria in 1963 to study abroad, but throughout my stay there, I was washing dead bodies to support myself to go to school,” he said.
“Whenever I got home from work, I will be weeping, remembering the number of dead bodies I washed.
“My boss at work then said I should not be afraid or fear, adding that such feeling is normal for first comers.
“He encouraged me to always see those dead bodies as iced fish. But against all odds, I survived and that is why I am urging youths to see hard work as the only way to success.
“I am saying this to challenge the youth of our next generation not to give up. This is our chance as youths and as Yorubas to come together to chart a successful pathway for the country.”
Ajimobi studied business administration and finance at the State University New York, and an MBA in operations research and marketing with a concentration in Finance at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois.
