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From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Senator representing Ogun Central at the National Assembly, Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, has said that he would continue to make education development and youth empowerment the fulcrum of his constituency project because education is the only treasure that cannot be stolen.
The senator disclosed that he would have become a taxi driver, but being educated enabled him to become a successful computer scientist, a Chief of Staff to the Governor and eventually a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Shuaib made this known while speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the ‘Capacity Building for Ogun Central Senatorial District Teachers on Use of ICT for Teaching and Learning’, he facilitated for 161 teachers and held at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta.
He added that despite being born in a remote village of Odeda Local Government Area of the state to parents who were driver and petty trader, respectively, education had prevented him from following in the footsteps of his father and catapulted him into the limelight.
The Senator maintained that his focus on education is driven by his personal experience and insisted that education remains the only key to success.
Shuaib who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, however, said he facilitated the ICT training for the teachers to enhance their knowledge in technology and support the Ogun State government in its efforts to digitize the education system.
He emphasised that teachers are critical to the success of education, hence the ICT training which he observed would further equip them with digital tools needed to teach and impart knowledge on students.
“We are building the skills of our teachers to improve teaching and learning outcomes. The wealth of nations is no longer measured in oil reserves, but in the quality of intellect, knowledge, and health of the citizens.
“The training was initially meant to accommodate 40 participants drawn from the six LGAs in Ogun Central, but 161 eventually participated in the training. Teachers are the light of the society and I remain resolute on the path of education development. Education is a treasure that cannot be stolen”, he noted.
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The senator disclosed that has given over one thousand scholarships to students, paid WAEC and NECO fees, provided educational materials, and convened an educational summit involving traditional rulers in Ogun Central.
He expressed delight with the feedback from the participants at the ICT training and pledged to collaborate with the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, to make the programme a regular activity.
Shuaib, however, rewarded eight teachers at the event who have won the awards of the Best Teachers in the state and other laurels, with cash gifts and laptops.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, commended the senator for facilitating the training for the teachers.
Arigbabu who noted that using and deploying ICT in education is one of the success stories of the incumbent administration in the state, disclosed that a digital platform has been developed for teachers to teach students and track their academic activities in the state.
While urging the participants to build on the capacity training, the Commissioner said that Senator Shuaib has been a consistent contributor to the development of education in the state, particularly in the area of ICT.
The Ogun State Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Akeem Lasisi, said that the ICT training was very strategic for the teachers who are the central drivers of education development.
He noted that the training was not an isolated intervention by the senator, but a deliberate step to enhance the ICT capacity of not only the teachers, but youth and fresh graduates, as well as student leaders.
On his part, the Rector of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Arch. Koye Jolaosho, lauded the senator and expressed optimism that the ICT training would mark the beginning of collaboration between the institution and the senator on human capacity development.
