The press address being delivered today Friday 3RD OF MARCH 2023, in IMEKO,Ogun state.
Gentlemen of the press.
As you are aware, by the 11th of March, 2023, the people of Imeko Afon State Constituency, Ogun state alongside other political Constituencies in the State will exercise their franchise and in good conscience to elect individuals into different offices of the state.
The current situation in Nigeria has taken a dimension that requires individuals of proven character, intrinsic worth, and public-spiritedness to populate our political sector. Our economy is degenerating and the spate of insecurity, unemployment, out-of-school children, and sectoral crisis which includes the educational sector is growing at an alarming rate. Hence the state of the affairs in the country calls for greater concern from all and sundry.
However, if there is a category of the Nigerian people who should be extraordinarily concerned, involved, and prepared to participate in the coming general election, it should be the Nigerian youths between the age of 18-34 bracket, the majority of whom are students in the tertiary institutions. The latest Labour Force report of the National Bureau of Statistics ranked unemployment among young Nigerians at 42.5 percent andaccording to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), about 20 million children are out of school in Nigeria which Ogun state according to the Universal Basic Education Board accounted for 700,000.
The above statistical explanation shows that the youths are the major causality of the development crisis in all states of the federation and unless this crisis is curtailed by electing men of proven and knowledgeable character into positions in the public service, the nation will in no time descend into anarchy.
To avoid such an avoidable calamitous end, the youth and especially the ever-conscious, formidable, and articulate Nigerian students must rise to the occasion to rescue the nation at her cross-road. Thankfully, the empirical data made available by the Independent National Electoral Commission is evident that the Nigerian youths and importantly the Nigerian tertiary institution’s students have taken the bull by the horn and are ready to fix the nation in a democratic means.
According to the INEC 37,060,399 or 39.65 percent of eligible voters for the coming general election are between the ages of 18 and 34. It was further revealed that students in terms of occupational distribution make up the largest category of all eligible voters at 26,027,481 or 27.8 percent. It is against this background that we decided to convey a meeting, and engage in wide consultation with on the one hand all the leadership and students’ structure across all the State Constituency
Our focus was to engage in a cross-sectional evaluation of all the candidates contesting to represent the good people of this State Constituency at the State Assembly of weighedeach of the alternatives in terms of their educational qualifications, organic knowledge of our district’s polity, quality, and practicability of their manifesto, contributions to the development of education in Imeko Afon accessibility, personal virtues, and character, and their potential to win.
As individuals under different student bodies, we recognized that the constitution of our organizations is objective and neutral when it comes to partisan politics. At the same time, we feel obliged to properly and adequately guide our teeming colleagues who will be voting in this district to choose a candidate that will assure quality representation and prioritize the youth and student constituencies for the pursuit of educational and occupational advancements.
Gentlemen of the press, our choice of candidate is not conditional on the type and ideology of any political party, neither are we patronized by his wealth nor influence for our pecuniary purposes. The decision to endorse a candidate is followed by our commitment to the principle of good conscience and the personal qualities, attributes, and characteristics of our endorsee. For this reason, we will be ready to issue a disclaimer if any other persons aside from the person whom we are approving his candidacy take undue advantage of this declaration.
We have studied the templates of each of the candidates and we have democratically concluded that we will support aparticular candidate who has shown more preparation than every other contestant. We are moved by his context-specific programs which are responsively unique to each of zones comprising the Statel Constituency and relating to areas of security, social infrastructure, electrification, social investment, industry, Creative industrialization, youths and sports, and important to us education.
Regarding education which is our major concern, he showed us in his well-researched manifesto that he will be committed to ensuring ACCESS, SUPPORT, and a QUALITY ASSURANCE model in the educational sector. He promised to improve access to basic education and initiate and consolidate bills that will ensure that Students from this zone benefits from fair and just access to different educational services. On SUPPORT, he identified critical areas such as scholarships, gadgets, and other facilities that will aid academic excellence. While on QUALITY ASSURANCE, he emphasized that his representation will facilitate the construction, and rehabilitation of schools and equip our laboratories, and studios and create opportunities for a national and international scholarship for graduate and post-graduate studies.
The summary of this individual’s agenda and the result of our thorough findings about his person, character, and perception of public service formed the basis of our decision to endorse and Recommend to all our colleagues, parents, family, and friends,etc by God’s grace that will improve and build on the gains of his predecessors for the development and prosperity of The State Constituency.
Great Nigerian students, ladies, and gentlemen, gentlemen of the press, on behalf of the entire strength and structure of the students in Imeko Afon Constituency in the Ogun West senatorial district and on the other, with all students in outside campuses but with voting eligibility status in the Zone we HEREBY ENDORSE HON.ADEBISI OLUBODE OF THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY PDP
Great Nigerian students, this is not a time to look back. We must face the challenge before us, be resolute, and resilient, and vote massively to secure a future we would be proud of. We are convinced that many of our colleagues are with their permanent voter’s cards.
For this movement to succeed, we have resolved to adopt the name BASHORUN STUDENTS’ MOVEMENT to mobilize and canvass support for our candidate.
Great Nigerian students, this time we must speak and shine in one voice, we must reinvigorate our hope, be convinced by our conscience, and be ready to elect a man of our own making in the person of HON.ADEBISI OLUSEGUN as the Member House of Assembly.
Thank you all for listening.
VIVA, ALUTA CONTINUA
VICTORIA ASCERTA
