TELL Magazine

Tuesday February 14 was St.Valentine’s Day, and in commemmoration of the day celebrated all over the world as lovers’ day, the government of Lagos State and students’ leaders of higher institutions, in the spirit of the season, came together to share love.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, in a convivial atmosphere, interacted with Nigerian students and the academia.

Both the national and state chapters of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, were well represented at the Onikan Function Room, Muson Centre, Lagos.

Balikis Lafiaji-Okuneye, Professor of Sexuality Education and vice-chancellor, Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, who was guest speaker of the day, proved her worth as a real mother to her students as she was greeted with all sorts of endearing songs immediately she entered the hall.

Lafiaji-Okuneye recalled that she was once like them; that she was a social director in her school days, and dean of students’ affairs at the Lagos State University. Charging the students that “charity begins at home”, she urged them to come out in thousands to cast their votes for Tinubu, with a task that their target is five to four million votes from Lagos State.

She said “The era of playing football on the days of elections has passed because we have a target in Lagos, and the target is four million votes. Let our charity begin at home; let’s all go out to vote.

“The era of use-and-dump is over. This government has a lot of opportunities presented to the youths, and they can only take these opportunities by going out to vote so that they can have their voices heard and become stakeholders by asking for their own right, after all, they have voted for the choice everybody wants.

“There have been antecedents of leadership. Sanwo-Olu has been a very good listener of the youths. He listens to youths and follow their yearnings. He slashed the school fees from almost N200, 000 to N68, 000. These are some of his policies that help youths to be educated and also have a future that is very bright,” she said

In his opening remarks, Fuad Atanda-Lawal, chairman, Ikoyi/Obalende local council development area, and director, youths mobilisation, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Campaign Organisation, BOSCO who also represented the governor at the event, commended the youths for their turn-out. Atanda-Lawal noted that they they were present because they wanted a better Lagos State, a better Nigeria, and “a leader that will take you guys to the next level.You want a leader that will make life easier for everyone of you”.

According to him, “The youths are the future, and that future is now; and there is no gainsaying about what the governor has done in Lagos State. When schools were on strike, national, our tertiary institutions in Lagos weren’t on strike; they were fully functioning. Our governor has done well”.

Also emphasising that the era of ‘use and dump’ had gone in Nigeria, Atanda-Lawal cautioned that “If you think you can use our youths and dump them, it’s not going to work because four years is waiting for you.

“Now that we have a contract with youths, if you are good at winning elections, that means you are good at doing the job. If you are good at wining election, that means you are good at driving development”.

Atanda-Lawal urged youths not to let any politician use them for ballot box snatching, noting that youths are agents of change.

Adeola Oloyede, deputy director, student mobilisation, and organiser of the event, while explaining the initiatives behind the gathering and why on Valentine’s Day, said it had been an ongoing thing and that the response had been positive. She said “for you to see this crowd here is simply because we love our leaders”.

Oloyede said “ It is lovers’ day; it is a very significant day, and we are showing that we love our political leaders because we can see what the likes of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done in Lagos. He has transformed Lagos beyond ordinary, and it all emanated from the blueprint of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“So, we love them and the fact that we might not have the coincidence of this kind of event anymore, reinforced our decision to use this opportunity to prepare towards forthcoming general elections.

“Our targets are coordinators; these coordinators are presidents of universities, polytechnics, colleges, faculties. If you look at it, we have about 150 students which is about 15 students representing each higher institution in Lagos State. So, this is a robust turn-out”.

They have a direction, and know where they are going. They have read about the past; they know about the present, and they are looking up to the future, and I strongly believe that with the likes of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Bola Tinubu, the future is brighter than expected”. Oloyede said

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