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Urge students to resist vote buying, shun violence
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From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State Joint Campus Committee (JCC) and the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) have called on all eligible students across Ogun State to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), verify their polling-unit details and actively participate in the forthcoming elections in line with INEC guidelines.
NANS Ogun JCC and NAOSS also urged students to shun voter apathy and electoral violence, resist vote buying, intimidation and misinformation, and embrace issue-based participation, respect for differing political opinions and peaceful exercise of their democratic rights.
The student bodies made this call in a joint statement signed on Saturday by the Chairman of NANS Ogun JCC and the National President of NAOSS, Habeebullahi Adekunle Tijani and Olubodun Olalekan Opeyemi, respectively.
According to them, the decisions made at the ballot box will shape education, employment opportunities, security, welfare and general well-being for the next four years, and students cannot afford to remain spectators in a process that directly affects their future.
“We must move beyond complaining about governance and take responsibility for shaping it through informed choices and active civic participation. Our collective future is too important to be left in the hands of others,” the statement read.
The student bodies also called on political leaders and candidates across all parties to prioritise students’ welfare, quality education, youth employment, security, entrepreneurship and meaningful youth inclusion in governance.
Meanwhile, the statement applauded the Ogun State Government under the leadership of Governor Dapo Abiodun for strengthening education financing through the Ogun State Education and Skills Trust Fund Law, digital education initiatives and scholarship and bursary programmes.
Habeebullahi and Olubodun equally commended Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, otherwise known as Yayi, for his contributions to education, infrastructure and youth empowerment in the state.
They specifically acknowledged Senator Adeola’s various interventions, including educational support for 5,312 students, grants to 10,000 traders and various infrastructure projects across the state, while calling for sustained implementation to ensure the benefits reach more students and communities.
The association, however, reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement with the government and stakeholders to advance students’ interests, maintaining that public promises must translate into measurable and sustainable benefits, with a clear message to students to “collect your PVC, get informed, participate actively and make your vote count.”
