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By Vivian Onyebukwa
Chief Mrs Olufunke Aduke Odetayo was born on May 22, 1941 into the family of the first photographer in Ila Orangun, now in Osun State – the late Mr Moses Oyewole, and his wife, Mrs Deborah Ajike Oyewole.
Recently, Chief Odetayo clocked 85 years.
In this interview, she recalled her growing up days. A retired teacher, she stated the importance of discipline at school, and how best to actualise it among children. She also talked about the state of the nation, letting out some tips on how families can survive the economic situation in the country.
At 85 years, how do you feel?
I feel good, and I thank God for everything. God Almighty has been good to me since the time of my birth. At my early stage in life, it was tough, because I was told that just a week after my parents got married, my daddy ran away with another woman to Lagos. I was told that my mummy had already taken in then. So since that time, God really helped my mummy to uplift me. I give glory to Almighty Father, and here I am today.
Can you recall your early days?
I was born on May 22, 1941, into the family of the first photographer in Ila Orangun, late Mr Moses Oyewole and Mrs Deborah Ajike Oyewole. I am proudly a native of Ila Orangun, Osun State. My early life was not easy because my father had four wives, and like I said, it was difficult for my mummy, but all the same, I was privileged to benefit from the free education initiative introduced by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria.
The teachers college was also introduced, where I graduated. Through determination and hard work, I successfully completed my education with good grades.
Thereafter, I began my teaching career and served diligently in the education sector for 35 years, during which I rose from being a classroom teacher to becoming a Head Teacher. I got married early to my darling husband, Otunba Tunde Odetayo, and we are blessed with lovely children and grandchildren. We thank God for keeping us together till this day. I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served as an educator and for the successful completion of long and impactful teaching career before retirement.
What can you say about your experience then as a teacher in the early nineties and now?
As a teacher then, my focus was on improving literacy in lower primary, the bedrock of education, preparing pupils for secondary education. I even had the opportunity of teaching in the secondary school from form one to three during the scarcity of teachers in Lagos State.
Some of the people I met at a function recently were those I taught in the secondary school, who have become big men and women today. I am indeed a proud teacher.
What can you say about school discipline today and the 1960s? Do you recommend flogging pupils at school?
Corporal punishment like flogging was common and legally allowed in most public and private schools. The idea was based on “spare the rod, spoil the child” which is immediate physical discipline to deter misbehaviour and maintain order. Teachers and principals usually had wide discretion. But today, most countries have banned or severely restricted corporal punishment in schools. As of 2025, over 140 countries prohibit it in all schools by law.
What are the reasons for such prohibition?
The shift happened for a few reasons. Studies from the 1980s onward found links between frequent corporal punishment and increased aggression, school avoidance, and poorer student-teacher relationships. Schools moved towards behaviour management, detention, suspension, restorative practices, and parent involvement.
Child rights conventions and laws reclassified physical punishment by school staff as assault in many places.
Today, there’s less social acceptance of adults hitting children outside the home compared to 60 years ago.
Legally, in most places, flogging is not allowed. Doing it would count as assault and could lead to criminal or civil liability for the teacher and school.
Practically, schools now rely on non-physical methods because they’re less likely to get the school sued, and administrators believe they maintain order without escalating conflict.
Some parents, teachers, and researchers argue that limited, controlled corporal punishment was effective for certain behaviours and that its removal has contributed to discipline problems. Others argue that non-violent discipline teaches better self-regulation and keeps school safer for both students and staff.
What style of punishment do you recommend for discipline in Nigerian primary and secondary schools?
For Nigerian primary and secondary schools, the best style of punishment right now is positive, non-violent discipline, and that’s also what the federal government and several states are officially pushing for. Lagos State and the federal plan both, recommending counselling as the main correction method. The idea is to explain why the behaviour is wrong and set expectations.
Teachers are being trained on positive reinforcement, effective communication, and conflict resolution.
Some corrective tasks alternatives used in Lagos include kneeling briefly, picking up litter, and cutting grass within school premises. These are framed as “positive reinforcement” to link the behaviour to responsibility.
Restorative practices such as getting students to reflect, apologise, or make amends, are recommended by researchers studying Nigerian schools.
Schools that set clear rules, apply non-physical consequences like detention, loss of privileges, written assignments, and involve parents, report better behaviour without the risks of corporal punishment.
Again, studies in Nigeria link corporal punishment to physical injury, trauma, lower motivation, lower academic performance, and higher dropout rates. Teachers themselves say it’s “no longer effective”, and often escalates into abuse. Some parents would come to fight teachers at school when their wards are flogged after committing offence.
So, practical suggestion for Nigerian schools today include, replacing flogging with counselling and restorative tasks. Talk to the student, explain the rule, and assign a short, non-harmful task that connects to the misbehaviour.
Warning the child is equally recommended. Also, the school could invite the child’s parents for a meeting. Again, the child could be sent on suspension for serious cases. These keep discipline firm without physical harm.
The safest, most supported approach now is positive discipline and restorative practices. Flogging still happens in many schools, but it carries legal risk under Section 34(1) of the 1999 Constitution and the Child Rights Act.
As an octogenarian what can you tell mothers about child upbringing in today’s Nigeria, with the current state of the economy?
The core message would be, don’t raise children for today’s economy. Raise them with character, skill, and fear of God so they can handle any economy.
Teach work plus contentment. Praise effort, not just results. Same standards for all kids. Teach them honesty and respect first, use free resources, and teach about savings. Don’t compete with others, keep faith and community strong. Explain, don’t just command, and build trust.
What’s your advice to couples on how to cope with the present economic situation?
Coping as a couple in Nigeria’s economy is less than “making more money” overnight, and more about managing what you have without letting stress break the home. They should talk money openly and often. Most couples avoid this until there’s a crisis. Set a monthly 30 minutes “Money talk”, no blaming. List income, fixed expenses, and what’s left. Agree on priorities such as rent, food, school fees first, then other things. When both of you see the full picture, resentment drops because it’s “us versus the problem”, not “you versus me.” Again, build one budget, not two separate ones.
In Nigeria, it’s common for husband and wife to hide small income, side hustles. That breaks trust and makes planning hard. Combine what you can, and agree on personal allowances. Use a simple method of 50 per cent needs, 30 per cent wants, 20 per cent savings. Adjust the percentage to fit your reality, but the structure keeps you from drifting.
More so, cut waste, not just cost. Cook more at home. Buy in bulk such staples like rice, beans, garri when prices dip.
Track “small leaks” such as daily roadside snacks, data subscriptions you don’t use, generator fuel for non-essentials. Again, share one car for close trips, use public transport when it makes sense.
Also, have at least one side hustle as a couple. Relying on one salary or one business is risky now. Pick something that fits your skills and time such as trading, tutoring, baking, small-scale farming, or online services.
Even N20,000 or -N50,000 extra income monthly eases pressure. The key is to start small and reinvest. Then, protect your peace as a couple. Money stress is the number one reason for fights. Don’t make big financial decisions when you’re both tired and angry.
Celebrate small wins: “We paid school fees without borrowing this term.” Remember, your marriage is not a competition with neighbours or Instagram families.
Also, lean on faith and community. Most Nigerian couples say this keeps them sane. Pray together, stay close to family and church or mosque groups. People are often willing to help with childcare, food, or job when they see you’re trying, and humble.
In good months, save extra and avoid lifestyle inflation. Keep a “dry season” fund. Even ₦10,000 or ₦20,000 helps cover two weeks of food and gas.
Please advise the government on how to tackle the state of the economy
The Federal government should make the country better by focusing on what touches daily life first such as security, power, food, and trust in institutions.
They should fix security and justice so people feel safe, localise policing and accountability. They should also fast-track justice, and reduce case backlog in courts. A system where criminals face consequences and innocent people aren’t stuck for years changes behaviour fast. Government should also address root causes, which include youth unemployment, farmer-herder clashes. Kidnapping for ransom need targeted programmes, not just force.
The government should also fix roads to ease transport, especially farm to market roads such as Lagos-Kano, Port Harcourt-Abuja, and farm roads. Cutting transport costs cuts food prices faster than subsidies.
They should try as much as possible to lower the cost of living without creating more waste, fight food inflation at the source by improving storage, reduce post-harvest loss, and secure farms so production rises. You can’t import your way out of food inflation forever.
Public money should be made available, visible and accountable. Government should publish budgets and spending in plain language, and reward states and Local Government Area’s (LGAs) that perform. The government should tie some federal grants to measurable results in education, health, and road maintenance. Competition works. Cut waste in government itself, fewer duplication of agencies, leaner delegations, and less spending on things that don’t serve citizens, are also important.
They should invest in people, not just projects, basic education and healthcare that actually function. A child in a public primary school should be able to read and do basic math by Primary three. That’s the minimum there should be Technical and vocational training tied to jobs, partnerships with private companies, so training leads to actual employment, not just certificates.
Protect merit in hiring and contracts. When people see that connection matters more than competence, they stop believing in the system.
