Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa (SAN), has recounted how he taught himself to read and write before receiving formal education.
Speaking in an interview on KaaTruths, Okutepa said his father prevented him from attending school, so he spent his days working on the farm while his peers attended classes. In the evenings, however, he joined them under a tree where they held lessons using slates and a blackboard.
“When I saw my agemates going to school and later sitting under the tree with slates and a blackboard for evening lessons, I joined them. If they were reading A, I also followed whatever they were doing. They graduated from reading in native to English, and I joined them. They were going to school, while I was going to the farm,” he said.
Okutepa said the informal lessons gave him a strong educational foundation, enabling him to excel when he eventually enrolled in primary school.
