Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has been honoured as the Hero of Nigerian Students by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for his outstanding performance in the education sector.
The students’ body led by the Senate President, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye, presented the award on Monday in Government House, Yenagoa.
Comrade Akinteye said the honour was the first bestowed on any Nigerian leader and was necessitated by the many developmental initiatives of Governor Diri, especially in the education sector.
The students leadership particularly mentioned the building and equipping of technical and vocational schools in the state, donation of vehicles to students unions, setting up of the Students Management Committee as well as sponsorship of students to international sporting competitions among others.
He also commended the governor for prioritising security in the state, adding that their choice of Bayelsa as venue of the 85th session of the Senate was based on the recommendation of the Minister of Defence.
Akinteye said: “We commend you for your developmental strides in Bayelsa State, mostly in the education sector. We went to the technical college in Yenagoa Local Government Area and we learnt this is an idea you are executing in all the eight local government areas.
“This is a very good idea, especially in our country where people go to school, graduate and become jobless. But with this, they will not only have certificates but also technical skills. We have put in our communique that other states should follow suit.
“Your Excellency, we must confess that Bayelsa State is secured. The peace in the state shows how you have taken security as a priority.
“Let me also commend you for sponsoring students of the state to represent Nigeria at the World Schools Basketball Championship in Serbia and currently Bayelsa students are representing the country at the World Students Games in Bahrain. The difference is that while students from other countries are sponsored by their government, the Bayelsa contingent is sponsored by the state government to represent Nigeria. This is intentional leadership.
“Having seen everything you have done, Nigerian students are honouring you with the Hero of Nigerian Students award. This is the first time Nigerian students will be giving anybody this award.”
White thanking the students for the honour, Governor Diri advised them to think of ways to contribute to development of the country rather than engaging in protests or running out to foreign countries in search of greener pastures.
The Bayelsa governor explained that the emphasis on science and technical education in the state was to encourage graduates to become employers of labour rather than job seekers.
He also stated that the reason for sponsoring students to sporting events outside the country was to expose them to good facilities and how things are done in other climes.
His words: “Our education is certificate-based. That is why we have high level of unemployment in this country.
“The antidote is for us to retrace our steps. Let us rejig our curriculum, and the only way is vocational, technical and science-based education where graduates of these schools will become employers of labour rather than job seekers.
“That informed our paradigm shift in education in building and equipping science and technical colleges across the local government areas in the state. As we speak, there are just two local governments left for us to complete the technical schools in the eight local governments in Bayelsa. Others have started functioning.
“We do not only build. We also equip them. In these schools, feeding is free, accommodation is free and the tuition is also free. They are all paid for by the state government. That is the best we can do for human capital building. We are building bridges, we are building roads but we also have to build the human base.
“These are some of the reasons we are ready to expose our students at all times as expensive as it is to sponsor such foreign trips.
“However, it is not time to japa (flee Nigeria) but it is time for us to think inwards and think out of the box. What do we do for a change? Will this science and technology bring a revolution in the state so that it can also impact other states?
“I believe we should produce more of doctors and technicians so that outside of academics they can stand to feed themselves, employ themselves and employ other people. That is the education that nationally and statewide we should be moving towards.”
