Ago-Iwoye Central Development Council (ACDC), on Sunday, 24th December, 2023, held a memorable welcome party in honour of Prince Kayode Adewale, a distinguished educator and an outstanding recipient of numerous accolades and awards.
Adewale’s remarkable credentials include being a Fulbright TEA Fellow, 2nd Runner-Up for Best Teacher in Nigeria 2023, President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award recipient, and MIE Fellow 2023, among others.
His expertise spans various fields, such as MGAMES, USA, Microsoft Educators community including MCE, Global PhET Translator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, MIE Master Trainer, Go Ga Master Trainer, and as an Innovative Teacher Fellow (ITF) from TASUED.
Kayode Adewale recently came back from the United States where he had his Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievements programme which brought together 151 educators from 68 countries. The programme was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered by IREX with funding provided by the U.S government where he had his 46 days of training at Kent State University on Educational Pedagogy, Technology integration in Education and Mathematics, and also in the USA classroom at Streetsboro High School for his field experience.
The programme was to promote among other things mutual understanding between educators, their schools and communities in the U.S. and abroad; to share best educational practices; to enhance educators’ expertise in their disciplines and to prepare participants to serve as even stronger educational leaders who are equipped to apply the experience gained abroad with their colleagues and students upon returning home.
Kayode, who holds dearly the memories that the people of Ago Iwoye have created for him as a native, in his response at the reception said: “My Ago Iwoye will always hold a special place in my heart for numerous reasons.
“I was born and raised in the town, and I will forever be proud of it, a place filled with honey and love. In 2020, when I became the Best Senior Secondary School Teacher in Ogun State, the Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye, His Royal Highness, Oba Abdul-Razaq Adenugba, was among the first elders to congratulate me. He mentioned that the Ago Iwoye Central Development Council had nominated me for an award, which was postponed due to COVID-19 until 2022. During the 2022 Ago Iwoye Day, I was honoured.
“Upon my return, Nigerian Breweries informed me that I had emerged as the Ogun State Champion for Maltina Teacher of the Year and a Top 10 Finalist in Nigeria. When I traveled to the USA for the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievements programme, my Ago Iwoye people sponsored my return ticket for a welcome party in Maryland, USA from my host university, Kent State University, and on my last day in Washington DC, USA, they organized a reception and awarded me a certificate of achievement, courtesy of the Ago-Iwoye Descendants Union (AIDU), Mid-Atlantic, USA”.
Adewale disclosed that upon returning to Nigeria, the Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye and the Ago-Iwoye Central Development Council Chairman informed him of a welcome party to be held in his honour on 24th December, 2023, where he was presented with a gift.
He said: “All of these experiences reflect the caring nature of the Ago Iwoye people, showing their interest in supporting the youth. These acts and many more ensure that Ago Iwoye will always hold a place in my heart. I want to express my appreciation to all sons and daughters of Ago Iwoye, both at home and abroad, for this honour.
“A special thanks to the ACDC and our Royal Father, Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye, Oba Abdul-Razaq Adenugba. I pray that, by God’s grace, we will all witness the Ago Iwoye of our dreams”, he concluded.
