“My name is Nelson Afolabi Akinruntan. I am an alumnus of the class of 2015 (ACA’s best class). I personally think they should dub me ‘Mr. ACA’ – why? Because I’m one of the very few that started at Crèche and stayed up until Grade 12. My loyalty to ACA is why it was important for me to have my first exhibition where it all started – the ACA grounds.

During my time at ACA, I enjoyed most of my classes, playing sports, the social life and more. We always had a nurturing student-teacher environment that made classes enjoyable, and the great oral and written skills I picked up made it easy for me to settle in as an international student at Bowling Green State University (Ohio USA), where I studied Electronics and Computer Engineering. But as Art was one of the 3 subjects I loved most at ACA, I took my passion for drawing along with me and continued to develop my skills as a hobby and an escape.

After returning to Nigeria in 2021, the stress of a 9-to-5 Engineering job led me back to painting as a release. As people started to inquire and buy some of my art, I considered dipping my feet almost full time into painting. Now in Abuja (and the MD of the Febson group), I continue to enjoy painting and take every free time I get to work on the ideas I have.”