I had a conversation with a parent recently, and she proudly told me, “My child is getting the best education. We pay millions in school fees.”
I smiled and asked, “What can your child do? What problems can he solve?”
She looked at me, confused. “I just told you they are in one of the best schools in Nigeria.”
And that right there is the problem.
Many Nigerian parents believe that paying expensive school fees automatically means their children are getting a good education. But is that really true?
Because I have seen graduates from the best schools, even those with master’s degrees, who don’t know how to sell, create value, communicate effectively, or even manage money.
They were only trained to study and pass exams, not to solve real-world problems.
So I ask again—Is your child really getting an education, or just going to school?
We have glorified school so much that we think if a child isn’t sitting in a classroom, they are not being educated.
The moment a child isn’t writing exams, submitting assignments, or wearing a school uniform, people assume they are not learning.
This mindset is dangerous.
Most parents focus only on general education—the one school provides. But they ignore personal education—the one that actually prepares a child to be valuable in life.
Personal education is what teaches them how to make money, how to solve problems, and how to think independently.
And that’s why we have millions of graduates with certificates but no real-world skills.
Meanwhile, some young people who combined both general and personal education are building businesses, creating solutions, and employing others.
Why? Because they got personalized education, not just general education.
The problem with most Nigerian parents is that they focus only on schooling.
They spend millions sending their kids to the best schools but fail to teach them personal development, business skills, money management, or problem-solving.
And that’s why we have more graduates who are lost in life.
They don’t know how to navigate the world outside school because they were never taught how—and parents refuse to teach them either.
Do parents realize that real education is not about certificates but about:
✅ Learning how to make good decisions
✅ Building strong character
✅ Understanding how money works
✅ Developing skills that create wealth
A child who learns sales and marketing, software development, real estate, or content creation at 13 years old has more earning power than a university graduate with no skill.
But most parents will never accept this.
They will pay for graduation parties, school excursions, and fancy uniforms but refuse to invest in books, mentorship, or real-world skills for their children.
They will spend millions on education that guarantees a certificate but won’t spend a fraction of that on education that guarantees skills and competence.
And that’s why we have adults today who have been through school but remain financially and mentally poor.
I know this is getting lengthy, but I have made up my mind—my children will not only go to school, they will be educated.
And I will take this campaign to more secondary schools and influence more children.
Let’s start asking our children:
👉 “What can you do?”
👉 “What are you learning now?”
Not just, “What class are you in?”
Let’s help them develop a unique skill that makes them useful to the world—not just prepare them to graduate first and then figure out what’s next.
Because if our children finish school and don’t know how to solve problems, innovate, and create value, they will struggle—no matter how many certificates they have.
I rest my case. But we will have this conversation again tomorrow if I have time.
I am The Billionaire Mechanic, and I have one question:
What will your children be able to do by the time they turn 18?