Oyo State legislator promises N50 million funding for student parliament event

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A member of the House of Representatives representing Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West Federal Constituency in Oyo State, Adedeji Olajide, has pledged N50 million for the Youth Legislative Summit, promising to continue mentoring youths in his constituency and across the state.

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He made the pledge during his induction into the University of Ibadan Students’ Union, held at Adeoyo Ring Road, Ibadan, the state capital, on Wednesday.

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Olajide, who is the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement for the Oyo South Senatorial District in the 2027 election, commended the unity and development within the student body, saying more progress would be recorded if students were properly mentored.

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The lawmaker described his new role as a challenge, stressing his readiness to deploy all his resources to prepare students in Oyo State and the University of Ibadan for a more competitive future.

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He said, “My new role will be to help you (students) restore values and discipline. I also want to advise you all to remain focused and avoid distractions on campus. On the Students’ Legislative Summit, I will support you with the sum of N50 million.”

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Olajide, popularly called Odidiomo, said, “This induction will help to expand students’ social networking. The world is going digital, and the donation of 20 laptops to the Oyo State Youth Parliament through the Oyo State Agency for Youth Development will help the youths practise digitally.

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“Yes, that was one of the reasons I gave them 20 laptops. You know the digital gap in our society is so wide that we need to start aggressively closing it. Like I told you, I am going to launch a digital centre very soon, and I want you all to also be part of it. Whoever participates will also be enrolled in a training programme that I will personally facilitate,” he added.

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The lawmaker also advised the newly inaugurated youth parliamentarians in the state to remain focused, dedicated and united for greater political exploits in the near future.

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Also speaking, the Speaker of the University of Ibadan Students’ Legislative Council, John Oludele, described Olajide’s induction as a reward for his inestimable contributions to students’ development across the state and Nigeria.

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He said the honour was comparable to the honorary citizenship conferred on Prof. Wole Soyinka in recognition of his global contributions to arts and literature, adding that the induction would spur the lawmaker and other like-minded individuals to do more for the student community.

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Oludele said, “That is why we deem it fit to induct him into the University of Ibadan Students’ Union because this is a huge commitment to the development of students. He has a history of developing youths across the state.”

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The Chairperson of the University Students’ Union Representative Council Legislative Summit, Oluwagbemileke Ajayi, who spoke about the September Legislative Summit, urged the government to address infrastructural deficits in higher institutions across Nigeria.

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She said, “Hostels, libraries, classrooms, ICT rooms and mentorship must be improved to provide a conducive learning environment and make our students more competitive.”

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The Chairman of the Oyo State Agency for Youth Development, Prince Adebowale Falana, commended the lawmaker for his impact across the state.

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