The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ forum and the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government would continue to prioritise education and initiate policies that would enhance the lives of youth and students.
He appealed to Nigerian students not to lose faith in the Nigerian project, saying challenges currently beleaguering the nation are passing phases.
Fayemi said these in Ado Ekiti, over the weekend, during a reception organised by the Vice-Chancellor, Ekiti State University(EKSU), Prof. Eddy Olanipekun, for the President, National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS), Com Sunday Asefon.
Asefon, who is an alumnus of the university, is a Postgraduate student of the citadel of learning.
Fayemi, represented by his Senior Special Assistant, Students’ Affairs, Com Olalekan Soyombo, commended the NANS’ leader For promptly fulfilling many revolutionary promises targeted at alleviating the sufferings of the students.
“You should keep faith with the entity called Nigeria. You must be patriotic and work as progressive tendencies to move Nigeria forward.
“This project called Nigeria must not fail and students have a lot of roles to play. Students are potential future leaders. As you are being trained here, you are gradually being prepared for leadership.
“It is important that you have to be morally upright with your academic competence, these are what make a complete leadership. Stay away from all vices like cultism, ICT fraud, drug abuse and those things that can mar your future”, Fayemi appealed.
Fayemi added: “You(Asefon) got massive support from all quarters while vying for NANS presidency. With this, you must ensure that you don’t betray the confidence reposed in you by EKSU, where you are an alumnus, the Ekiti State, where you are a citizen and among students, your main constituency”.
The Vice-Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Eddy Olanipekun assured that the university will continually initiate student-friendly programmes to boost the standard of education and ensure stability on campus.
“I will partner NANS to bring stability to this campus. This is a citadel of learning and whatever it will take to make students comfortable shall be done in the interest of our future and Ekiti as a state”.
In his response, Asefon regretted the gross deficiency in the country’s education, which he said must be discussed by stakeholders at a proposed education summit to be convened by NANS.
“There was a need for us to rejig our deficient curriculum, so we are planning an education summit where we will cross-fertilise ideas and form a policy that will be submitted to the Presidency for consideration on how to rejuvenate education.
“If you check the budget this year, we have the lowest budget in the last one decade. That was bad. We must have a database where will we know the true numbers of students in the country, this estimated 41 million population being bandied around is not acceptable to us”.
Asefon bemoaned that he came at a time when a crime has become a lucrative business in Nigeria, saying NANS would convene a security summit soon to fashion out ways of the conundrum, describing insecurity as a threat to education.
On his plans for students, Asefon said: “We will support managements of schools that support Nigerian students so that there would be stability and high standard of education.
“I am also going to Work with TETfund and other beneficial federal agencies to facilitate projects to my school, EKSU, this is my primary constituency.
“Again, this is an era of technology and diplomacy in the union circle. We don’t need to go to the streets before we get things done. I am happy that the university is celebrating me. The peace of this institution is imperative to us and we will guard it jealously”.
No comments:
Post a Comment