The Ogun State student community has endorsed the Senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, for re-election in 2027, citing his interventions in digital education, youth empowerment and constituency development.

The students also honoured him with two awards of excellence in recognition of his contributions to education, technology, youth development and student empowerment.

The awards were presented by representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Ogun Joint Campus Committee (NANS Ogun JCC); National Association of University Students (NAUS); National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS); National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ogun State; Progressive Students Movement; Students’ Union Governments of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic and Federal College of Education, Osiele; and the SAS Student Movement.

Speaking during the presentation, Chairman of NANS Ogun JCC, Comrade Olabode Faruq, said the decision to honour and endorse the senator was based on his “concrete, verifiable and impactful” contributions to the students community.

Faruq said the students were not celebrating political titles, but recognising what he described as measurable achievements, particularly in education and technology.

He said, “we are not endorsing a party. We are endorsing a person. We are endorsing a track record. We are endorsing what we know, what we have seen and what we have experienced.”

He urged politicians to pay greater attention to the students’ population ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that young people remained critical stakeholders in the country’s democratic process.

Faruq also appealed to Salisu to provide a bus or other reliable means of transportation for the student community to facilitate mobilisation and engagement across campuses and communities in Ogun Central.

Other student leaders, who spoke at the programme, Student leaders present including Comrade Oladimeji Uthman, NANS National Secretary; Comrade Akinlabi Abraham, President, Federal College of Education, Osiele; Comrade Okerafor Bestman, NANS National PRO; Comrade Oreduva Adekunle; and Comrade Uthman Danfocho of the SAS Student Movement, cited the construction and equipping of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, provision of laptops, digital skills training and annual support for students seeking admission into tertiary institutions among the senator’s major interventions.

According to them, Salisu’s digital education initiatives have benefited undergraduates, graduates, teachers, artisans and youths across the six local government areas that make up Ogun Central.

They listed community ICT centres established at Government Technical College, Idi-Aba; Community High School, Oluke, Ifo; Federal University of Medical Sciences, Abeokuta (FUMSA), Odeda; Ansarudeen College, Ishaga Orile, Abeokuta North; and Methodist High School, Arigbajo, Ewekoro.

They also noted the provision of ICT equipment to Egba Obafe Grammar School, Obafemi Owode; Egba Odeda High School; Ijemo Titun High School, Abeokuta; Nawairudeen Grammar School, Obantoko; Agbado District Comprehensive High School, Oke-Aro; and Asero High School, Abeokuta.

The students further commended the commissioning of a 250-capacity ICT centre at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).

They praised Salisu’s annual purchase and distribution of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms to more than 1,000 students, alongside the distribution of school bags, textbooks, mathematical sets, exercise books and JAMB and Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) past questions.

Responding to the endorsement and awards, Salisu thanked the students for recognising his contributions and pledged to continue supporting education and youth development.

He highlighted some of his legislative activities, including the National Internship and Unemployment Benefit Scheme, which he said had passed second reading, as well as the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill.

The senator also cited motions he sponsored on the proposed sale of Lafarge Cement Plc to foreign interests and alleged illegal raids of markets by customs officers.

He listed other constituency interventions as the N50 million “Okowo Salisu” grant programme for more than 500 market women, digital training and empowerment for women, medical outreaches, federal cash grants for constituents, agricultural training and fertiliser support, as well as festive palliatives during Eid-el-Kabir and the Christmas/New Year period.

On infrastructure, he cited the rehabilitation of the Camp-FUNAAB-Alabata Road; construction of the Akomoje-Mawuko-Opeji Road; provision of transformers at Isabo CDA and Fijabi CDA; installation of solar-powered streetlights under his Imole Omoyayi initiative; and the provision of 24-hour power supply and streetlights at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, Iwe Iroyin, Abeokuta.

Speaking on the achievements of the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, Salisu said reforms in the education sector had significantly improved students’ access to tertiary education.

According to him, the Student Loan Fund has helped reduce the risk of students dropping out of tertiary institutions by providing tuition support and stipends.

“The rate of dropout in our tertiary education is almost zero on account of the Student Loan Fund. The Student Loan Fund is not only paying these tuition fees; it is also providing stipends for students,” he said.

He also pointed to the decline in strikes in tertiary institutions as another major achievement of the administration.

“Strikes have become something of the past in our tertiary institutions. So, students can predict not only when they enter the institution, but when they will also graduate,” Salisu said.

The senator further praised the increased funding available to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), saying it had become a major source of infrastructure development in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

“When you go to our tertiary institutions, most tertiary institutions, whether Federal or State, 70 to 80 percent of the infrastructure there is from TETFund,” he said.

Salisu said the students’ endorsement was also an indication of their appreciation of the federal government’s education policies and his own interventions in Ogun Central.

“Therefore, when students now come and endorse me, they’re also passing a message that I should also tell our party and tell the President that they are extremely grateful for what our party has done for students and what I have also done for the education sector, particularly in Ogun Central Senatorial District,” he said.

He said the endorsement came on the same day he inspected the ICT centre at the Federal University of Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, describing the project as a landmark intervention.

“I’m happy that I’ve made history in that institution; I completed the process of its establishment, and I’ve also given them the very first building,” Salisu said.

The senator urged students to approach the 2027 general elections from the perspective of Nigeria’s future, rather than partisan politics.

He said, “The 2027 election is not about political parties; it’s about the future of our country. It’s about the trajectory of the reform that President Bola Tinubu has started.”

He also linked the forthcoming election to continuity in Ogun State, urging voters to maintain the APC in government.

“It’s about the legacy of transition in our state, from one APC government in a smooth transition to another APC government,” he said.

Salisu called on Ogun State voters to support APC candidates across all levels of government, saying the party’s performance should serve as the basis for their decision at the polls.

“Therefore, the people of Ogun State must vote five over five: the President, the Senate, the Reps, the Governorship and, of course, the House of Assembly candidate into office,” he said.