When Uncle Speed took 27 Pupils to Olumo Rock
It was in commemoration of Nigeria's 53rd Independence Anniversary. And much more than another act of honouring the Memories of Nigeria's Freedom, it was a Free Education and Fun Tour to the historic deity rock in Ogun State's capital – Abeokuta.
Organised by Project27 Africa (a Charity founded by Uncle Speed) the free Edu-Fun Tour for 27 Pupils of St Paul's Anglican Primary School, Odogbolu, began from the Palace of the Alaye of Odogbolu, His Royal Highness, Oba Adedeji Onagoruwa.
Oba Onagoruwa receiving the Kids with some of his Chiefs in attendance, challenged the Kids to be good ambassadors of Odogbolu wherever they went, and then, he blessed the expedition.
In Abeokuta and at the Olumo Rock Tourist Complex, the Kids were satiated seeing natural sights of what has been described as the “Museum of undeterminable age”.
They saw the ever-flourishing, 200-year old Iroko Tree whose leaves, are essential part of the Coronation of a new Alake of Egbaland. They ran into ancient claves, felt the roundness of the holes dug in some of the caves; and got ghostly scares at the sight of ancient Shrines and Gravesites.
137 Meters above Sea Level on highest point of the Rock, the Pupils saw more scenic views of some sites they've always read in text books:
The flowing Ogun River, the First Church in Nigeria, the First Mosque in Egbaland, the Family House of late MKO Abiola, and amongst many other things eyes could see, they saw more brown roofs than they've ever seen all their lives.
Returning back home, and to make the Kid's Happiness fuller, Uncle Speed delivered to the Pupils lots of exciting gifts he brought from Lagos.
The gifts ranging from Learning Support Materials to Personal-Care Gifts were given by donors whom at Project27 Africa are called, 'Angels'.
The next day, the Pupils gathered inside their School Library for a free Workshop on basic Bead Making. At the end of the Workshop, the happy Kids made twisted multiple-stranded beads into Necklaces and Ear-Rings as gifts for their mothers.
Their facilitator was Shade Onitiri, the CEO Ademi Jewellery and a Volunteer at Project27 Africa.
“At Project27 Africa,” Uncle Speed tells, “our Vision is a Rural Africa Populated with happy and literate Kids.
“We do this by identifying a Public Primary School in a Rural Area, selecting 27 Talented Kids from the School, taking them on free Education and Fun Tours to an exciting place in a city near them, and on returning back to their village, we give the freebies which are donated benevolent citizens.
“So," Uncle Speed concluded, "our formula for happy children in rural Africa is to take them, FREE, to places they would not otherwise be able to attend especially because financial difficulties. Happiness is the fun they experience on the trip. Happiness is the sense of wonder they feel. Happiness is the gift (lots of them) that they get FREE."
 A TOUR GUIDE AND THE KIDS |  ADEOYE POSES WITH THE BEAD HE MADE FOR MUM |
 ALL FOR NIGERIA |  ASCENDING OLUMO |
 AT THE BASE OF OLUMO ROCK |  BACK TO THE VILLAGE |
 BYE BYUE, CHILDREN... |  CECELIA AND UNCLE SPEED |
 CHILD PREPARED FOR THE TOUR |  COMING OUT OF THE CAVE |
 DEPARTING OLUMO |  DESCENDING OLUMO ROCK |
 GOING BACK HOME |  HAPPY KIDS AND UNCLE SPEED |
 HAPPY TIME WITH UNCLE SPEED |  ILERI POSES WITH UNCLE SPEED |
 INSIDE ONE OF THE CAVES |  INSIDE THE LIBRARY FOR THE BEAD MAKING WORKSHOP |
 INSIDE THE PALACE PREMISES |  INSIDE THE TOUR BUS |
 JUST BEFORE THE CLIMB |  KIDS ARRIVE OLUMO |
 LOTS OF FREEBIES TO TAKE HOME |  LUNCH TIME BEFORE DEPARTURE |
 ON THE FIRST ''FLOOR'' OF OLUMO |  ON THE TOP OF OLUMO ROCK |
 OUT OF THE CAVE |  PAUL MADE THIS FOR MUMMY |
 PENNING DOWN WHAT WE LEARNT AT OLUMO |  PLAYING IN THE RAIN WITH UNCLE SPEED |
 POSING WITH UNCLE SPEED |  PTA CHAIRMAN AND STAFF OF ST. PAUL''S ANGLICAN PRIMARY SCHOOL ODOGBOLU |
 PTA CHAIRMAN JOINS THE KIDS |  RELAXING 137 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL |
 SAMUEL AND UNCLE SPED |  SHADE ONITIRI CHILDS FACE |
 SHADE ONITIRI TEACHES THE KIDS BEAD MAKING |  SHADE SHOWS TAWA ''HOW-TO'' |
 SHALEWA MAKING HER BEADS |  SHALEWA SHOWS OFF THE BEAD SHE MADE |
 STILL INSIDE ONE OF THE CAVES |  STRETCHING ON THE SCHOOL FIELD |
 TAWA AND UNCLE SPEED ON OLUMO |  TAWA POSES WITH THE BEAD SHE MADE |
 THE KIDS AND THE ALAYE OF ODOGBOLU |  THE KIDS IN OLUMO TOURSIT COMPLEX |
 UNIFORMS WERE DONATED BY FUNNY BONE |  UNLCE SPEED GIVES THE GIFTS |
 VOLUNTEER TOSIN POSES WITH THE KIDS |  WALKING THROUGH GRANITE ROCKS |