Kunle Adelabu
-As new executive, legislative arms inaugurated for NAIDS
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof Olumuyiwa Noah, have charged students from Ikorodu Division area of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, to bring back the lost glory of the division when it dominated the social, economic, political and other spheres of the state.
The University Don gave the charge at the inauguration of the new National Association of Ikorodu Division Students (NAIDS) executive council led by Comrade Soyiga Samuel Adeshina Abdulazeez.
The event was held at the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat hall on Saturday, February 15, 2020.
Inauguration of the Senate President and other principal officers of the parliament was conducted by Dr Abiodun Fatai Abatan, a senior lecturer in the department of Political Science, LASU, while Hon. Azeez Jimoh Olosugbo conducted the inauguration of the President and members of its executive council.
The Senate President is expected to go back and conduct the inauguration of other members of the Senate.
Prof Noah charged students from Ikorodu in various tertiary institutions across the country to ensure that they are force to reckon with in all field of studies and impact positively in every areas of human endeavors.
“If you have good historical knowledge, you will remember that this division has produced great men and women. You need to follow in the footsteps of those great people who dominated social, economic, educational, political, educational and other spheres of Lagos life”.
He stated that students should learn from the conducts of those that started students’ movement in Ikorodu Division like late Alhaji Solaja Alagago
While congratulating the new executives of the students’ group, Prof. Noah asked their executives to live up to their mandate.
He also warned youths against cultism and other associations that do not add anything positive to their lives.
Prof. Noah also advised members of the new executive council to see their new responsibilities as training for the future.
“Those of you that were elected and are being inaugurated today must see your engagements as a training ground for leadership position and coordinate your colleagues to make meaningful impact”.
Associate Prof Bola Oyefolu, the Director, ICT LASU, charged the students to learn to take time seriously.
He challenged Soyiga and other executive members to bring change to the union.
“I have been telling you that I’m tired of holding brief for you guys. You must start learning how to take responsibilities for your actions and leading the generations coming behind you and who will be looking up to you for assistance.
“You must live up to the ‘Oga’ appellation by distinguishing yourself in everything that you do”, he charged them.
A senior lecturer in the department of Political Science and the guest lecturer at the inauguration, Dr Abiodun Fatai Abatan, spoke on the topic, “The significance of education”.
Following in the footsteps of Prof. Noah, the guest lecture also charged the students to learn from the activities of old Ikorodu division students’ movement while also asking them to develop capacity for mobilisation, developmental activism and impacful engagments.
“There is need for the new excos to settle down and refocus the movement for impactful engagements”, he stated.
Speaking on the topic, Dr Abatan stated that education is very important to national and community development, adding that sons of Ikorodu like Prof Awobajo, Prof Ade Wahab among others have made names for themselves in the field of education.
“There are many other leaders from the division that have attained international and national prominence through education. These are people that you must see as role models and motivation factors.
“You must exhibit that you are the best anywhere you are because if you are not the best there is no way that you can show that education has impacted on you.”
He warmed them to stay off any act that will not make them good ambassadors of Ikorodu Division.
While stating that ikorodu is not properly placed in the state’s system, Dr Abatan called on the students to arm themselves with adequate education and capacity building to reverse the trend.
The scholar, who said there is need for value reorientation, described the gang war in Ikorodu as a serious issue which the youths must help the division to combat.
He charged lkorodu community to support the students’ in achieving their goals and development, adding that, “The event that we are observing today is the beginning of good things in Ikorodu”.
Prince Lanre Balogun, former Commissioner for Rural Development in the state, attributed the problem in the society to lack of value and ethics.
He charged youths to always exhibit good traits and characters wherever they found themselves for the society to change for better.
Former Council Leader, Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Azeez Jimoh Olosugbo, called for establishment of data base for Ikorodu students in all tertiary institutions.
Also speaking, Mr Seun Elesho, stated that education is a leveler and charged lkorodu youths to do everything to pursue it for them to be able to compete with their counterparts elsewhere.
He also called for more relationship between tertiary institutions and communities (town and gown) in resolving many societal problems.
“Your education will be meaningless if you are not solving any problem. This is what our Universities must ensure in impacting knowledge on students”.
In his acceptance speech, Comrade Soyiga sworn to protect the interest of the union and use the platform to promote development in Ikorodu Division.
“For I have sworn before Olodumare and man today to protect the interest of the union, contribute to the development of our division today and never to forget the struggle of our past heroes.
“I am not unaware of the struggle ahead, the tunnel to success is expected to be dark, the struggle ahead will be tougher than where we started from, there shall be intimidation, we will come across betrayals but fellow students, I promise not to disappoint you and never to back down”.
He pledged to execute his campaign promises by embarking on membership drive and give support to students in various secondary schools across the division among others.
“This is to also reiterate my campaign promises, that we will increase the membership strength of this association, we will provide help to get job opportunities for our graduates, we will work to return the youths back to school, we will not leave our members in secondary schools.
“We will support one another to grow, we will defend our constitution and above all, we will make our leaders understand our Bursary and scholarship are not a privilege but our right and on this note, it must be paid”, he added.
He solicited for support and cooperation from National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) and other sister unions.
Comrade Luqman Owoyele, Chairman, NAIDS Electoral Committee, while announcing the elected officials, stated that the elections into various parliamentary and executive seats of NAIDS were conducted in accordance with the rules of the union.
He added that the new officers of the union were elected to refocus and direct it for better engagements
Other guests at the inauguration were Hon. Babajimi Benson who was represented by Alhaji Taiwo Odumbo, Chief Imam Soyiga, Chief Imam Oke-Eletu, Princess Folashade Oba, Vice Chairman, Ikorodu Local Government and Barr. Ade Ayeni, Secretary to the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA among others.
