Senator representing Ogun Central, Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, says many Nigerian leaders both past and present were products of public schools, dismissing a notion that students attending government-owned institutions are disadvantaged.
Salisu cited examples of himself, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, and other notable leaders who attended public schools in Ogun State.
The Chairman of t5 spoke during the
2025 Educational Support Programme he organised in Abeokuta which featured distribution of educational materials to Senior Secondary Schools and SAS scholars in Ogun Central Senatorial district.
The educational support materials included school bags, mathematical sets, exercise books, text books and past questions books.
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The lawmaker said the gesture was in fulfillment of his campaign promises and to entrench a culture of education as ‘only true means’ of empowerment.
“I am a senator because of God’s benevolence and the education that I had.
“I am aware of the empowerment people do, empowerment that you distribute items, items that will be sold immediately, that will not have lasting impact.
“We didn’t come just to give the students materials, we also brought people to share life experiences,” the lawmaker said.
He urged the students not to feel inferior or disadvantaged for attending government-owned institutions.
The former Chief of Staff to Governor Dapo Abiodun insisted that public schools help students to build networks and alliances that would assist them in the future.
So, number one, you’re not in anyway disadvantaged because you are in public schools, indeed you are at an advantage by attending public schools. You will mix and relate with people with different backgrounds, you will build networks and alliances that will put you in good stead in the future.
“Also, I told them to delay their gratification. When you delay your gratification and focus on what matters, by the time you have achieved, the world will celebrate you and every other things that were meant to distract you would now become things you do at will.
“The third things I told the students was that, you can be competent and even be committed, but if you lack character every other things will fall flat,” the senator said.
The Speaker, Ogun Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, advised the students to utilise the educational materials judiciously.
“Make the best use of the educational materials. Aim for the best all the time and don’t let anybody say you can’t do it,” Elemide said.
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