OBASANJO URGES OGUN STUDENTS TO FOCUS ON STUDIES, BUILD GOOD CHARACTER

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged secondary school students in Ogun State to take their studies seriously while developing good character to help them succeed in life.

Obasanjo gave the advice on Tuesday during the Obasanjo Back-to-School Project organised by the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.

The programme, held in partnership with Providus Unity Bank, provided school bags, notebooks, socks, pens and other learning materials to more than 100 students selected from six local government areas in Ogun State.

Represented by the Director of the Institute of African Culture and International Understanding, OOPL, Professor Peter Okebukola, Obasanjo advised the students to develop a regular reading habit and reduce distractions from smartphones and social media.

He also encouraged them not to give up when faced with difficult subjects such as Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics, stressing that academic challenges could be overcome through persistence and more study.

Obasanjo said academic excellence should be accompanied by good character, adding that education should prepare young people not only for better careers but also for responsible living.

He urged the students to learn from both success and failure, stressing that failing a test or missing an opportunity did not mean a person was a failure.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, represented by a ministry director, Mrs Bolanle Idowu, commended the organisers for supporting students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

He encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the learning materials and remain focused on their education.

The Chairman of the Youth Development Centre, OOPL, Bisi Kolapo, said the programme was the centre’s first Back-to-School Project and that beneficiaries were selected on merit through the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

She disclosed that the centre had previously trained 500 indigent pupils in computer education and said the back-to-school initiative would be sustained.

The Programme Manager of the Youth Development Centre, Blessing Omolara, said the project was designed to support learning among indigent secondary school students.

The beneficiaries were selected from public secondary schools in Odeda, Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Remo North and Ado-Odo/Ota local government areas.

The organisers said the initiative was aimed at reducing some of the financial pressure on families at the beginning of a new academic session while encouraging students to remain committed to their education.