Oluwagbemisoke Alaka Makes History As Ogun’s One-Day Commissioner For Education

• Oluwagbemisoke Alaka, a 16-year-old student, served as Ogun State’s One-Day Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology.
• She began her role on Thursday, arriving at the Ministry’s headquarters at 9:45 a.m.
• Alaka was welcomed by the current Commissioner, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, and other officials.

Sixteen-year-old Oluwagbemisoke Alaka, a final-year student of African Grammar School, Ita Iyalode, Abeokuta, stepped into the role of Ogun State’s One-Day Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology on Thursday.

She arrived at the Ministry’s headquarters in Oke-Mosan around 9:45 a.m., where she was received by the substantive Commissioner, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, along with other top officials. Alaka spent the day touring different departments, signing official documents, and taking part in key administrative tasks giving her a firsthand look at the demands of managing the state’s education system.

Her selection followed her emergence as the overall winner of an essay competition organised by the Adebiyi Habib Foundation, which featured more than 300 students from various secondary schools across Ogun State. The competition was designed to spotlight exceptional learners and promote leadership development.

Commending her performance, Commissioner Arigbabu described the initiative as a meaningful way to reward academic dedication and motivate other students. “Alaka has done remarkably well, and we hope her experience inspires other learners to strive for excellence,” he said.

During her brief tenure, Alaka used the platform to call for stronger investment in digital learning. She noted the rising dependence on computer-based testing (CBT) for examinations like JAMB and WAEC, urging the government to ensure public schools have adequate ICT resources.

“Students in Ogun State must be fully equipped for the digital shift,” she said. “Right now, only a handful of public schools have functional CBT centres, and this gap requires urgent policy attention.”

She also emphasised the need to improve teachers’ welfare, stressing that no education system can surpass the quality and motivation of its educators. While acknowledging reforms made in the sector over the past six years, she appealed for more efforts to improve learning outcomes.

The founder of the Adebiyi Habib Foundation, Habib Adebiyi, explained that the One-Day Commissioner initiative was created to nurture leadership skills among young people. “Over the past three years, more than 50,000 students have been impacted by our programmes,” he said. “We hope this experience encourages students to pursue leadership and academic excellence.”

Reflecting on her day in office, Alaka described the opportunity as transformative, adding that it has strengthened her resolve to work hard and inspire other students across Ogun State to aim high academically.