The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji has commended the Lagos State University Students Union (LASUSU) for achieving e-voting to determine its leadership of the institution in the just concluded Students’ Union elections held at the Ojo and other satellite campuses of the University.
Hon Ikuforiji stated this while presenting gifts and cash prizes to the winners of the 3rd Edition of LASUSU-Adeyemi Ikuforiji Inter Faculty Essay and Debate competitions held at the MBA Auditorium of Ojo campus of the institution.
The Essay and debate competition is an annual intellectual event sponsored by Hon Ikuforiji towards promoting academic excellence among students of the University.
While commending the winners in the Essay and Debate categories, Hon Ikuforiji tasked students to evolve and be prepared to take leadership as future leaders. According to him, young people who are to become leaders of the country must be groomed to expand their intellectual capacities to excel in academics and leadership training programmes.
“I believe strongly in capacity building for our youths; am convinced that young people should be developed and engaged for leadership, decision making and commitment to service to our fatherland, hence, all hands must be on deck to join in this task beyond paying lip services only”, he said.
Ikuforiji who promised to deepen his supports for the students in the next edition and beyond charged the students to be committed to academic excellence and avoid activities that can make them vulnerable to being used by self-serving politicians for achieving their dirty objectives.
The high point of the event was the distribution of prizes to winners. While Dada Taiwo of Management Science, Agoro Ibrahim of Social Science and Li-hammed Aminat Abiose of Science faculties clinched 1st , 2nd and 3rd position respectively in the open essay competition, Awesu Olaniyi of EducationTaiwo Shakirudeen of Social Science and Moyo Elosho of Art faculties cleared 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Winners in the competition were awarded with participation certificates, Samsung Notebook computers and cash prizes.
The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. John Oladapo Obafunwa while thanking the Hon Speaker for his commitment to academic excellence through sponsorship of the event advised the students to take advantage of such gesture to develop themselves adequately. He described the Hon Speaker as one rare politician who is genuinely interested in youth development.
In his closing remarks, Mr Speaker enjoined students who are above the age of 18 years to register for future elections and participate in election activities fully and positively. In his words, he said: “If you are to effect a change in governance, your participation starts from registering as card carrying member of your choice of party, and I can assure you that there is no better platform for such than the liberation party you all know, the All Progressive Congress (APC)”