MC Oluomo: My Life Journey and the Importance of Family

The President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu “MC Oluomo” Akinsanya, has shared his story. He went from being a bus conductor to one of Nigeria’s leading transport union leaders.

MC Oluomo spoke during the 50th birthday party of Islamic singer Hafsat Adegoke. The event also marked the release of her new album, with Fuji musician Saheed Osupa in attendance.

Despite facing jokes about his spoken English and education, MC Oluomo said his real-life experience gave him more knowledge than many graduates. He believes practical skills matter more than formal schooling.

He highlighted the success of his children as proof of his commitment to education. He mentioned that they have become a doctor, a lawyer, and an engineer, showing that he valued education.

At the event in Alausa, Lagos State, on Sunday, he said, “It’s not about being proud, I’ve been spending money since I was 13 years old. I worked as a conductor from 12pm to 6pm. I would go to Danjuma Cinema to watch Indian movies with my own money, and in turn, I would go home to give my mother money for her food.”

“That’s what I did until I got to this stage. I didn’t enter the NURTW as a bastard. I learned the work, mastered it, and got to where I am today. I didn’t go to school, but the knowledge and understanding I possess in my head are greater than those held by people with degrees.”

MC Oluomo, who is 51 years old, admitted he is illiterate but said he has educated his children well. He expressed pride in their achievements, stating, “I used to tell people that if I am uneducated, glory be to God. My children today are a doctor, a lawyer, and an engineer, and they are in America. God should not let our children die an untimely death.”

He also shared memories of his early life, including eating at the home of Saheed Osupa’s mother. He said, “That’s the King of Music, Saheed Osupa, sitting over there. We were having a conversation, and I bent down to greet him. He asked why I did that, and I said it was because he is older than I am, and secondly, because I ate Tuwo at his mother’s side when I was young.”

“May her soul rest in peace. Osupa and I were so close; he knew everything about me, starting from my childhood days.”

MC Oluomo also spoke about men who neglect their duties to their families. He said any man who does not care for his children and wife is against God’s will.

“I used to say that any man on earth who does not take care of his children is an enemy of God, because the person we are celebrating and spending money on today, if a time comes when we stop spending that money, will be left with only him and his children.”

“In today’s Nigeria, seventy-five per cent of women are mothers of two, three, four, five, six or seven children, and they are the ones who pay their children’s school fees, accommodation, clothes and food,” MC Oluomo added.

He praised the strong women who have stepped up in families where men have not taken responsibility.

“If she has a mother, she will still be paying for her house rent, others, and if she has a sister, she will not want her sister to end up like her, not because they are widows. They have husbands, but because some men prefer paying school fees for children born outside their marriage rather than for their real children. But in their old age, they will cry.