By Gideon Maxwell
October 24, 2026
Former Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has called on the people of Ikenne, Ogun State, to build on the historic educational legacy of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo by embracing artificial intelligence, robotics, and technology driven education.
Delivering a public lecture titled “Ikenne, a Small Town, a Great Inheritance and an Even Greater Future,” Osinbajo proposed a comprehensive ten year development roadmap tagged the Ikenne 2036 Plan.
The proposed strategy aims to transform the historic community into a premier centre of technological innovation, research, and advanced skills acquisition across the African continent.
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Osinbajo emphasized that while geographical size has never limited Ikenne’s contributions to national history, the next fifty years of global development will be heavily defined by artificial intelligence.
Reflecting on Awolowo’s pioneering free primary education policy in the Western Region, Osinbajo noted that investing 41 per cent of the regional budget into education in 1959 laid the foundation for modern Black Africa’s intellectual growth.
He urged current community leaders and stakeholders to replicate that visionary commitment by equipping young citizens with cutting edge technical skills capable of building transformative digital solutions.
The lecture attracted prominent traditional leaders, academics, and key political figures who endorsed the blueprint as a vital step towards positioning regional communities at the forefront of global technological advancements.
