President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu Akinsanya, widely known as MC Oluomo, says years of street experience and self-education have equipped him with more practical knowledge than many university graduates.

Speaking at the 50th birthday celebration and album unveiling of Islamic singer Hafsat Adegoke in Alausa, Lagos, the influential transport leader reflected on his journey from a teenage bus conductor to the pinnacle of one of Nigeria’s most powerful unions. The event drew several notable figures, including Fuji star Saheed Osupa.

Recounting his early struggles, Akinsanya said he began working as a conductor in his early teens, juggling long hours on Lagos roads with the responsibility of supporting his mother. He described how, even then, he managed to carve out small pleasures for himself while still contributing to the 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, using the memory to illustrate his early sense of responsibility and independence.

He insisted that his rise within the NURTW was not accidental but the product of deliberate effort and a deep understanding of the transport sector. “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 declared.

Akinsanya pointed to his children’s achievements as proof that, despite his lack of formal schooling, he values education. He said his children are professionals in medicine, law and engineering, all based in the United States. “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.

He also spoke emotionally about his long-standing relationship with Saheed Osupa, recalling how he ate in the home of the musician’s late mother and how Osupa witnessed his humble beginnings.

Turning to family responsibilities, Akinsanya condemned men who abandon their duties to their wives and children. “I have always said that any man who does not take care of his children is an enemy of God,” he said, lamenting that many Nigerian women now shoulder school fees, rent and feeding alone while some husbands prioritise children outside their marriages. He warned that such neglect would have consequences in later life.