The Oyo State Government has expressed determination to collaborate with the African Students Union Parliament (ASUP) in its fight against drug abuse across the state.
Dr Nureni Adeniran, the Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said this when ASUP led by its Speaker, Mr Kewul Abel, paid him a courtesy visit in Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Adeniran, who expressed the board’s readiness to work with the union in tackling drug abuse, expressed concern over its rising spate and negative impact on the youth.
He commended the union for its ongoing sensitisation programme against drug abuse across the African continent, which he said would go a long way in tackling its menace.
The chairman noted that the Gov. Seyi Makinde led Government, through SUBEB had put in place some necessary measures to curb any form of vices including drug abuse, across the state.
He, therefore, thanked the union for honouring him with the prestigious ‘Icon of Nation Building’ Award, which he dedicated to the state governor, whom he said gave him the enabling environment to operate.
“I also express my profound gratitude to the board, management and staff members of Oyo SUBEB for their unrelenting support and sacrifices at ensuring that the vision of the board is kept alive,” Adeniran said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that as an Icon of Nation Building, Adeniran became one of the recipients of a WASU Five-Star General Badge, as well as a matching certificate.
It could be recalled that the West African Students Union (WASU), now African Students Union Parliament (ASUP) was formed in London in 1925 by Sir Kwame Nkrumah and presently has an estimated 50 million African students under its umbrella.
Speaker of the Parliament, Mr Kewul Abel, from University of Professional Studies, Accra Ghana, had earlier sought the state government’s support in the union’s ongoing sensitisation programme against drug abuse across the African continent.
While urging the state government to include ‘Fight Against Drugs Abuse’ in its education curriculum, he said that the collaboration with the government aimed at successfully curtailing the drug menace in Africa.
He also added that it became necessary due to the rising cases of illegal consumption of prohibited substances, especially among the youth.
“There is an urgent need for the present crop of West African leaders, especially in the education sector to build on the dreams of the founding fathers of the union, to salvage the decay in the education sector,” Abel said.
While presenting the award to Adeniran, Abel said the recipient, who rose through his chosen endeavours as an educationist, a lawyer and a politician, had been an inspiration to many.
He added that Adeniran was a leader and a role model per excellence with an incomparable inspiration, “whose name will go down in history as one of the most celebrated and most impactful leaders of our time.”
Recounting Adeniran’s several exploits in the public service, ASUP speaker said that WASU cherished his achievements, which is a morale booster for younger ones.
Also speaking, the Deputy Speaker ASUP, Mr Joseph Konan from Univerisite Felix Houpouet Boigny, Côte-d’Ivoire, eulogised the SUBEB chairman in promoting the Basic Education sector in the state.
He, therefore, urged him not to relent in his quest to create an enabling environment for the younger generation.
According to him, this is where the less privileged can have access to basic education, as this will further etch his name in the sands of history. “The awardee was carefully selected by an international committee of students across Africa, due to his achievements in the basic education sub-sector he supervises,” Konan said.
