The General Secretary of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows Alumni Association, (COSFAN), kwara State capital, Dr Biola Adimula has called on the federal government to be more proactive and expedite action on the successful recovery of the abducted Dapchi students in Yobe state.
Dr Adimula made call on Monday (March 12, 2018) in her address during the 2018 Commonwealth Day celebration organised by COSFAN held at Borstal Training Institution, Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
The COSFAN scribe described the abduction of these innocent students and the 2014 Chibock girls and myraid of security lacunas as a serious threat to the security to the country’s peace and stability.
Adimula who revealed that the cardinal objective of COSFAN is education, also appealed to the government at all levels to improve on budgetry allocation in education, expressing worry that the country education sector is underfunded.
She explained that Nigeria as a country will begin to enjoy tremendous transformation if the education sector is accorded with utmost attention in terms of adequate and proper funding.
Adimula disclosed further that this year edition of COSFAN Commonwealth Day was themed “Towards a Common Future “, pointing out that the association is working day and night to ensure and ascertain common good of all in terns of access to sound and qualitative education, as well as good living condition.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Sulyman Age Abdulkareem also used the forum to call on school age children to live a purpose driven life and be focused with their educational puisuit so as to become true leaders of tomorrow.
The Vice Chancellor who was represented on the occasion by the Director of Center for International Education (CIE), University of Ilorin, Professor Olasehinde Williams particularly urged the students to beware of more harm the mobile phone can do to their academic pursuit than the good.
The Vice Chancellor described mobile phone as one of the catastrophes of our present time, and advised the students of Borstal training to see their presence in the institution as a golden opportunity to get themselves reformed morally and academically in order to become useful members of the society in the nearest future.
He congratulated the teachers and staff of the institution for meticulously taking care of both academic and general well-being of the students under their care.
In her address, the wife of the Kwara State Governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed who was represented on the occasion by the wife of the state Deputy Governor, Mrs Felicial Kisira thanked the management of the institution for playing the good role in the lives of the students of the institution, and described the students performance during the debate and the spelling Bee as an indication of teachers’ tremendous efforts on the lives of the students.
Also speaking, the state Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs Mariam Garba expressed satisfaction over the brilliant performances of the students of borstal training and urged them to continue in the same spirit so as to live an enviable and purposeful life in the future.
Mrs Garba also used the forum to call on federal government and security agencies in the country to intensify efforts on the possible recovery of the Dapchi students there were abducted recently in Yobe state.
The Comptroller of Prison/Head of the Borstal Training Institution, Mrs Folashade Akinwale thanked the association for it’s visit and described their presence in the institution as a morale booster to the students of the institution.
The event featured debate, spelling Bee competition, and talent exhibition by the students of the Borstal Training Institution.
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