The immediate past Commissioner for Youth Development in Ekiti State, Hon. Gold Adesola Adedayo, has appealed to individuals and corporate bodies to partner government in rebuilding the Nigerian education sector and make it competitive and qualitative like those of advanced nations.
Adedayo averred that leaving the critical sector for government to invest and develop, may spell doom for the future of the country, describing education as the best tool to drive a nation to greatness and prosperity.
The Osun- Ekiti born politician spoke in Otun- Ekiti, on Tuesday, at the grand finale of the first edition of an annual inter- school debate and spelling competitions for schools in Moba Local Government sponsored by his political admirers under the auspices of “Gold Disciples”, where three schools won cash awards as winners of the fiercely contested programme.
At the event, Otun Comprehensive High School emerged first, with a cash prize of N200,000, while Aaye Comprehensive High School, Aaye Oja and Ikosun High School, Ikosun Ekiti, who came second and third received a sum of N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.
Addressing the participants, Adedayo said the nation must learn from the advanced countries of the world, where individuals and private organisations perceived huge financial donations to education as a sine- qua- non to building quality and functional system that will be of tremendous benefit to their greatness.
“Government alone can’t fund education, this is practically impossible. It needs our partnerships. Nothing is too small to contribute to build the capacities of our students and young ones as patriotic citizens. Waiting for the government alone to shoulder this responsibility may hamper our development and makes our future looks bleak”.
On the mission behind the initiative, Adedayo described the gesture as part of the ‘Gold Disciples’ quests to build a great future for his council and Ekiti at large, saying no nation can develop when the capacities of its productive population are under being undermined through lack of right education and skills.
He perceived the competition, which was a brain child of the “Gold Disciples”, his political group, as a talent hunting expedition that will help early detection of God- given talents’ deposition in the students, so that they can make the right choice of careers in future.
The former Youth Commissioner said the cash prizes to the deserving schools marked the end of an exciting and impactful academic event filled with brilliance, intellectual excellence, healthy competition, and outstanding display of talents by the participating students .
Adedayo commended the participating schools for demonstrating remarkable confidence, knowledge, creativity, and commitment to academic excellence, congratulating the winners for their outstanding performances and for making this year’s edition memorable .
“Beyond the competition, this initiative reinforces the importance of investing in young minds, encouraging academic excellence, nurturing confidence, and creating platforms where the next generation can discover, develop, and showcase their potentials.
“Indeed, this year’s edition has set a remarkable standard, and we are already looking forward to an even bigger, better, and more impactful edition next year. This is going to be an annual event. Please, let us continue to build on the legacy we have laid and experiences we have garnered, so that we can improve remarkably next year.
“Congratulations once again to all our winners, participating schools, and everyone who made this remarkable outing a success”.
Similarly, Adedayo appreciated the royal fathers, the Gold Disciples , stakeholders, teachers, parents, and those who contributed to the success of the academic programme, saying their responses and enthusiasm had really encouraged him to contribute more to the society.