‘I didn’t go to school, but know more than many graduates’ — MC Oluomo

President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has said formal education is not the only measure of intelligence, insisting that his life experiences have given him knowledge that surpasses that of many university graduates.

MC Oluomo made the remark on Sunday while speaking at the 50th birthday celebration and album launch of Islamic singer Hafsat Adegoke in Alausa, Lagos.

Recounting his early years, the transport union leader said he began working as a bus conductor as a teenager, earning enough to care for himself while contributing to his family’s upkeep.

“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 noted that his emergence as NURTW president was the result of years of learning and dedication rather than luck.

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“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.

Highlighting the importance he places on education, despite lacking formal schooling himself, he said he ensured his children received quality education.

“I always tell people that 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 added.

MC Oluomo also reflected on his long-standing relationship with Fuji star Saheed Osupa, saying they had known each other since childhood.

According to him, he often ate at the home of Osupa’s late mother while growing up, adding that the singer witnessed his humble beginnings firsthand.

He also urged fathers to take responsibility for the welfare of their families, describing men who neglect their wives and children as failing in their duties.

“I have always said that any man who does not take care of his children is an enemy of God,” he said.

MC Oluomo expressed concern that many married women have become the primary providers for their households, taking responsibility for school fees, rent, feeding and other family expenses due to the failure of some husbands to fulfil their obligations.

He also condemned men who, according to him, devote more attention and resources to children outside their marriages than to their own wives and children, warning that such decisions could have consequences in the future.