Follow Us on Google
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) South West Zone D has inaugurated new members of its executive council, led by Comrade Josiah Adeyemo, a student of Osun State College of Health Technology (OSCOHTECH), Ilesa.
The zone had earlier elected new leaders, and the inauguration was held at the weekend at the OSCOHTECH campus in Ilesa, with Osun State Governor Senator Ademola Adeleke represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Abiodun Ojo.
Ojo urged the newly inaugurated executives to embrace responsible leadership and contribute meaningfully to national development.
He advised them to view themselves as leaders of today, not “tomorrow,” and emphasized the need for greater inclusion of young women in student leadership for better gender balance in governance.
He also warned them against compromising their future for financial inducements, advising them to stay focused on initiatives that would add value to their personal and professional growth.
Ojo described the Adeleke administration as a “winning team”, citing ongoing infrastructural projects in Osun such as road construction and expansion of educational institutions. He reaffirmed government support for NANS and expressed confidence in the new leadership’s ability to deliver.
In his keynote address, Hon. Abayomi Adegoke, Chairman of the Governing Board of OSCOHTECH Ilesa, said leadership is a burden, not a title, and urged student leaders to take responsibility without excuses.
He noted that NANS has historically served as the conscience of Nigerian students, urging them not to remain silent or directionless amid national instability. Adegoke added that student unionism is a training ground for future national leaders and called on tertiary institutions—especially in the South-West—to allow student unionism to thrive.
Other News
He further urged NANS leaders to move from confrontation to constructive engagement with government through dialogue backed by facts and solutions.
Adegoke stated that Osun has maintained progressive engagement with student leadership since 2007, including appointing special advisers on student affairs, and said Adeleke has continued the tradition by appointing former student leaders into his cabinet.
He also disclosed that the governor recently announced bursary awards for eligible final-year students who are indigenes of Osun in all tertiary institutions nationwide, and students in private tertiary institutions within Osun State. He said the governor has built infrastructures and approved roads for tertiary institutions across the state.
He urged the new executives to stay united and resist external influences that could undermine their leadership.
The event also included remarks from the Coordinator, Comrade Adeyemo, who promised improved welfare for students in the zone and called for maximum cooperation.
Among those honoured with awards of excellence were Governor Adeleke, Hon. Adegoke, and the Commissioner for Youth, Hon. Olagunju Moshood Olalekan, among others.
The programme had in attendance dignitaries including student bodies, representatives from private sector, public opinion leaders, NANS National, members of the college governing board, monarchs, representatives from the Ministry of Education, and other stakeholders.
