Few know that Chief Olusola Emmanuel Amore—retired Commissioner of Police and respected figure in Nigeria’s security landscape—once stood at a chalkboard, trying to teach students who towered over him. Before the uniform and the commanding presence of law enforcement, Amore was a teacher. Later, he became a journalist, passionately navigating the media world before choosing a career in the Nigerian Police Force.
In this exclusive conversation with JULIANA FRANCIS, Amore fondly recalls his days as a young educator, facing classrooms filled with students whose physical stature often exceeded his own. The experience, though challenging, laid the foundation for the confidence and resilience that would carry him through years of public service.
Why and How Did You Become A Teacher?
My father, Richard Olusola Amore, was a dedicated teacher, though I never had the opportunity to meet him—I was born six months after his passing. After my father’s death, my upbringing was entrusted to my uncle, himself a trained teacher, echoing the deep-rooted tradition of education in our family.
My father belonged to the pioneering cohort of the African Church Teachers Training College in Ifako-Agege, Lagos State—a legacy that planted the seeds of teaching firmly in our lineage.
In 1972, upon completing secondary school, young people were typically expected to seek clerical roles in the civil service, become teachers, or pursue careers in banking. Yet I was determined to continue my education, and so I embraced teaching—a path both familiar and inspiring.
I began my teaching career in 1973 at St. Andrews Primary School in Ipaja, Agege. Between 1974 and 1975, I studied at the Government Teachers College in Surulere, which was later relocated to Igbogbo.
Upon completing my training in 1976, I taught briefly before enrolling at Advanced Teachers College in Surulere to earn my National Certificate in Education (NCE).
This certification paved the way for my participation in the National Youth Service Corps in 1979–1980, during a vibrant era when NCE and HND graduates were equally celebrated in national service.
Following NYSC, I felt the call to explore new possibilities. While considering university options, I applied to study Mass Communication.
In 1980, I was admitted to the University of Lagos, marking my transition from the chalkboard to the newsroom—and the beginning of an entirely new journey.
Tell Us Your Experience As A Teacher And The Years You Spent In That Sector?
I can say that I used the teaching profession to improve myself through continuous training.
Teach for a year with Kusat, but not much.
I came back, taught for about six months, and went to NCE. After NCE, just during my Youth Service years, I also taught at the Commonwealth College of Commerce, Jos, where I did my Youth Service before I proceeded to the University of Lagos. That put an end to my teaching career because I now read Mass Communication.
As A Former Teacher, What Is Your Take On Young Nigerians And Crime?
The problem with young Nigerians is not young Nigerians, but their parents! In the past, it was the whole community that brought up a child. I remember when we were young, if you did something bad at home, you would be reported to a teacher in school.
You know, if they report you to a teacher in school, they will bring you out in the assembly ground, and you wouldn’t want that. But these days, parents go to school to fight their children’s teachers for disciplining their children that had done something wrong.
These parents are not there for those children. They now want to be seen, to be supporting their children in every aspect of life. So, even when these children commit a crime, they want to be seen to be on the side of their child.
This is how young Nigerians got out of hand. I was DPO Bode Thomas, and you know the environment of Bode Thomas in Surulere. I know the impact parents have on their wayward children.
There’s nothing they would not do to pull strings to make sure that their children, who are arrested for a crime, are let off the hook.
What Can Parents, Religious Leaders And Society Do To Check Youth Involvement in Crime?
For parents and religious leaders, what they can do for children who are involved in crime is to lead by example. I dare to say that for every place that I have existed and my children have existed, they are always a pointer to the example that I have set for them.
The pressure by religious leaders on material things, the focus of parents on material wealth, were all part of derailing the youth of today. When we were growing up, our focus was on receiving an education. In life, you are going to rise gradually before you make it in life.
But these days, religious leaders only recognise those who are out there contributing to the wealth of the community.
This is bad enough. There is no more good behaviour. Nobody cares how you get your money.
This is what the religious leader and parents do. Your child cannot just come home with a big phone, and as a parent, you cannot question them or how they got such an expensive phone.
Ask them tough questions: Are you working? What kind of work are you doing? Rather, parents will collect expensive gifts from children who have no noticeable means of employment.
In our days, you have to explain how you get that expensive item or items. Who gave you such expensive items to give to their parents?
While Working As A Teacher, Tell Us A Day You’ll Never Forget?
As a teacher, I will never forget the end of my first month at St. Andrews Primary School in Baja, a town not far from Agege.
It was my first time teaching at St. Andrews, and the area was far less developed than what you see today.
I used to ride a bicycle I inherited from my uncle, commuting from Agege to Baja each day.
At the end of nearly two months of work, I received my salary. I placed the envelope containing the money in the side pocket of my trousers and began cycling home.
Along the way, the motion of pedalling must have caused the envelope to slip out of my pocket. I only realised it was gone when I arrived home. I had no idea where or at what point it fell.
Because of the way we were brought up, my uncle believed the money had truly been lost. I don’t think many children today would be that trustworthy. At that time, I hadn’t touched a single penny of the salary, I was still living with my uncle, and I always handed over my entire earnings to him.
That was the tradition I followed even after gaining university admission. Whenever I received money, I gave it all to my uncle.
So, the most memorable moment of my teaching career remains the day I lost my first salary before I even got home. After cycling around in search of the envelope to no avail, I sat down with my friend, Alhaji Amzat—my former seatmate from secondary school. I went to his house and, famished from the ordeal, devoured two loaves of bread.
What are Your Greatest Challenges As A Teacher, And How Did You Surmount Those Challenges?
My greatest challenge as a teacher was managing wayward children. I began teaching at a very young age, around 18 years old. At that time, some of my students were physically bigger than I was. I was assigned to teach classes five and six, and many of the students were stubborn and unwilling to cooperate.
Whenever I found it difficult to keep them under control, I would call the headmaster to intervene. He would speak to the students and say, “Listen, this person is more knowledgeable than you all. You need to pay attention to him.” That usually helped.
I truly enjoyed those early moments in my teaching career. Even during my youth service, I taught literature to Class 5 students in a school.
I studied English and Yoruba at the College of Education, and I had a strong passion for literature. That passion ultimately inspired me to pursue a degree in Mass Communication at the University of Lagos.
Watch out for the second and third parts interviews of Retired CP Olusola Amore in this space.
