By World’s Longest Reader, Bayode Treasures Speaks on Students Poor Academic Performance
Alumni of Comprehensive High School Alapere popularly known as ‘Agidi’ Wednesday tasked students of their alma mater to focus on their studies and excel 
with flying as this is key to having a rewarding future.
This was the message at the 7th edition of Back to Base empowerment organized by the Alumni group of CHSA under the umbrella body of Change Ambassadors Network (CAN) in collaboration with MercyGiven Charity. The event which wastagged Read 2 Lead had Alumni from different works of life charging students towards academic excellence.
Speaking to more than one thousand students in Comprehensive Senior High School Alapere, Keynote speaker, Bayode Treasures-Olawunmi, Guinness World Record Holder for longest reading, recants how he rose from grass to grace smashing world record.
He disclosed that as a young boy, he was nicknamed ‘fufu’ poor and uninspiring background.
The Lagos State Brand Ambassador recalled how he would go to Oshodi area of the state to help his Mother sell ‘Fufu’ and ‘Amala’.
“I was so poor that my friends will called me Fufu, I would go all the way down to Oshodi with my Mum to sell Fufu and Amala back in the days”, Olawunmi-Treasures, also a 1996 graduate of the school said.
He urged the students to believe in themselves and encourage them to dream of a greater future.
Encouraging the students to shun vices that could mar their future, Treasures- Olawunmi said; “If nobody believes in you, I believe in you and therefore believe in yourself”.
Dolapo Sholu, Founder of MercyGiven Charity, in his address, charged the students to face their studies and work hard to achieve excellence.
He told the student to always believe in themselves that they can do great things even when people say they cannot do it.
The Philanthropist expressed his displeasure about the decline in the academic performance of the students from 100 percent that it used to be to 14 percent last year while urging them to work hard to reclaim their rightful place they use to be.
‘’I have seen the chart that shows that your academic performance has falling to 14 per cent, you must now start working hard’’
‘’You need to listen to your teachers, do your assignment and don’t be lazy. Hard work can only be rewarded not laziness’’ Sholu, a 1984 graduate of the school told the students.
Earlier, Adeyemi Olalemi, President of the Alumni group, noted that the aim of Back to Base Empowerment which started in 2013 is to reverse the trend of poor academic performance in the school and ensure students shun distractions.
He recalled how academic performance of students began to rise after the maiden edition of the programme in 2013. He declared that the new poor performance was not unacceptable.
CAN presented merit awards to Jeremiah Obaremo and Fortune Odunze who both emerged as the best graduating student male and female respectively for 2018/19 session. Best students in SSS3 Class, Master Victor Akintuyi and Miss Tosin Ogunleye received UTME sponsorship cheques from Mercy Given Charity.
Two desktop computers, one laptop and a printer were also donated to the school to aid effective teaching and learning.
