A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Segun Olulade, has called for huge investments in education to brighten the future of the younger generation and the country.
Olulade, representing Epe Constituency II at the Assembly made the plea at a luncheon he organised in honour of 324 brilliant pupils in 2016/2017 academic session across public primary schools in the constituency.
According to him, efforts must be made to encourage pupils and teachers in order to move the education sector forward and accelerate national growth and development.
“It took eight years of my life before I went to the university. I am catching them young and giving them a direction from the beginning, and this is a thing of joy for me.
“We should understand that every child is ours. We cannot just train our own children and leave others,’’ Olulade said.
According to him, there are some families who cannot afford to send their children or their wards to public schools, not to talk of private schools.
“We spend thousands or millions of naira to send our own children to private schools.
“At the end of the day, those children would still go to the same market with yours. They would live in the same environment with yours and they will create the society you don’t want for your children.
“So why not come together and be our neighbours’ keepers by training their children so that our own children can also live a wonderful life?’’
The lawmaker advised all tiers of government to see education as a priority and to do everything possible to prevent industrial action in the education sector.
Olulade, the Acting Chairman, House Committee on Health Services, said that he had been organising students’ empowerment for so many years.
He said that it was not about politics but the passion for the education of children.
The lawmaker said that he knew the value of education, having been a victim of not being able to fund his education for some years.
Olulade, who is aspiring to represent Epe Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives in 2019, urged Nigerians to make the right choice of leadership in the next general elections.
“We now have another opportunity to choose the best to represent us at the state and national levels.
“I want to challenge the electorate to look out for the best in their constituencies and ensure that they vote them in during the next election.
“We want a National Assembly that would be committed to the development and delivering the dividends of democracy in our country.
“We can get the issue of restructuring and security right, once we have the best at the national level,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the overall winner in Basic 6 was Miss Azeezat Babatunde, also the overall Eleniyan Ambassador – a foundation founded by Olulade.
Halimat Raji emerged as the winner for Basic 5, while Akerele Ifeoluwa became the winner for Basic 4 category
Nine pupils, comprising the best three in Basic 4, 5 and 6, were selected in each of the 36 schools in the two Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) comprising Epe Constituency II, which are Ikosi Ejirin and Eredo LCDAs.
The pupils were also subjected to quiz completion and the overall winner went home with a fridge; the second position got a TV set, and some other items were given out to other pupils.
Meanwhile, in her remark at the event, a former First Lady in the state, Mrs Doja Otedola described Olulade as “a Great Ambassador of Epe.
Babatunde, the best overall student in Basic 6 and the second best, Raji, commended the lawmaker for the gesture, saying they would not relent in making him and their parents proud.
