Comrade Lamide Lawal was the Special Adviser to his Excellency, Executive Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun on youth and Sport.
Speaking to Afronews on the fate of Secondary school students,Ogun State youth and the programmes of the state government to ameliorate their hardship,says that government is rolling out plans to make life better for youth.He appeals to all youth to be calm and key into the empowerment programmes of the state government,adding that no youth should ever indulge in criminal act as the government of the day will not give room for lawlessness.
BY OLUWASEUN ADIGUN, ADEKUNLE OLUWATOBILOBA, OPE AND HALIMAT OGUNDIPE
Q:May we know you?
A: My name is Comrade Olamide Lawal. I’m the immediate past Special Assistant to his Excellency Governor Dapo Abiodun (MFR) on youths and sports.
Q: What are the activities of government to better the lots of Ogun State in terms of youths and sports?
A: I will like to re-emphasize on Governor Dapo Abiodun and his youth oriented policies. He is father-figure and passionate, especially, about the plan of engaging youths in sports and creative activities geared towards identifying the talented ones in order to serve as the role model to the upcoming ones. An instance is Faith Odoisi; she won the best Mathematics competition in the world and she was given an endowment fund to sponsor her education to PHD level. Another instance is Oladimeji of Lagos State University (LASU), who previously broke the 37th academic record of the school. These are the activities of government to better the lots of the youths in Ogun State. Even the Governor came up with the policy that sport infrastructures are well upgraded to an enviable point to host different sports festival. To crown it all, every plan and programme implemented are centered on youths development to motivate and give the youths sense of belonging in his administration.
Q: How far has the government gone to better the lots of secondary school students to stem the effect of subsidy removal?
A: The condition of secondary schools of these days calls for concern, government is determined to instill discipline on youths and also give them a template to have a brighter future. The student who are usually idle are now engaged in creative, professional, vocational courses that will enable them identify their potentials and expose them to the appropriate market for exploration and the job they can do in the future. All these are what the government is putting in place in order to make life better for the youth.
Q: What can you say about the discrimination between, Humanity department and science department in secondary schools?
A: Whoever is having low-esteem among the Humanities students, does not know what it means to be an Art student. Though, in the old days, there was a saying that the dullards are in Humanities department but these days, No! it is not so. Art department is the best department ever, in terms of debate and literary competitions, no other departments can beat it. For instance now, the LASU best student is in Humanity department and she got 5.0 which has never happened in the history of the school and no student can go beyond the 5.0,which means she has reached the peak. Teachers have to expose the students to the various professions in the department, expose them to seminars and organize career talk for them, be knowledgeable about their career choice.
Q: What would you say about some youths involving themselves in internet fraud with the current economic hardship?
A: The Governor is a person that did not give place for lawlessness, he has been trying his possible best to quench the excesses of cultism and any other crime. He gave the security agency support and they are working unhindered to checkmate crime rate in the state.Why should a reasonable youth be involve in Yahoo business,with series of empowerment program the government of the day is putting in place? The parents also have a lot of work to do, they should inculcate discipline, religious ethics, morality in their children, for this reason we implore them to help us in complimenting the efforts of our amiable governor,his Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun.The governor is a father and he has listening ears. He does not want any youth to be idle or indulge in any inglorious act.He his passionate about the wellbeing of youth and everyone in the state.
Q: How will you describe responsible parenthood in the old days and now, especially, the negative attitude of students to teachers and education, which brings about the slogan “Education is a scam”?
A: Whoever said education is a scam is an illiterate, as a teacher give them the differences between the South and the North, looking at the challenges in the North, when chief Obafemi Awolowo said education should be free as at that time, some leaders in the North,did not pay attention to the proposition but Glory be to God, it has been adjusted and the leaders can now see how important education is, to the extent that they are now giving out scholarship to the best students. So students should have the understanding that education is not a scam, and parent should try to give their children qualitative education and good parenting to be able to fit in.