Students celebrate POSSA Day, give awards

THE premises of St. Augustine College of Education (Akoka) was agog as Political Science Students Association celebrated ‘POSSA’ day with the theme: “Lagos Mega City Vision: On Course or Off Course?’ The event took place inside the College Main Hall.

It was also a day that was left indelible in the minds of six awardees including the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) for being the best political role model (male), Alhaja Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu for being the best political role model (female) while the President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Anthony Nted grabbed Grassroots Development Award.

Others who bagged consistent leadership in quality service award were Abayomi Dauda Kako Are of Mushin Federal Constituency, Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola and Managing Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Ola Oresanya.

The Chairman of the occasion, Senator Anthony Adefuye in his opening speech after lauding the association for choosing to theoretically study the complex academic field of politics referred to late Prof. Claude Ake who described politics as the Art and Science of allocating scare resources among competing interests groups while unfortunately in Nigeria, politics is known as the art and science of sharing federal allocation, nation wealth and power amongst a few.

He further described mega city as one that runs modern transportation system, ensures efficient waste management, put in place affordable and qualitative housing infrastructure, embark on uninterrupted public source of power supply and all the needed backbone on which civilized and developed societies manage their human and natural resources.

He commended the immediate past governor, Mr. Fashola for laying good foundation for the incumbent, remarking that Lagos State government today is by far better than the previous administrations.

He, however, mentioned the need to focus attention on primary and secondary schools, noting that there were enough tertiary institutions with some of them becoming irrelevant. “We need to establish technical tertiary schools where our children would need to learn and create jobs for themselves.

We should establish fashion designing, electrical, mechanical institutes among others. “Most of the new universities today are out there to make money and run those degrees that yield nothing for the student at the end of the day,” he said.

He advised students to prefer federal or state tertiary institutions and read meaningful courses, as most graduates of today are unemployable, partly because of the universities they attended.

He felt disappointed at the fight to control power going on at the national assembly, adding that Nigeria law makers are the most expensive lawmakers in the world with nothing to show for it. Ojikuti also appreciated good changes in Lagos State but that this could be improved upon.

She advised the new governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to help the common people of the State and ensure that local governments do their work.

She also advised President Mohammadu Buhari to remain focused. The POSSA President, Miss Alozie Onyinye, in her speech, commended Fashola for laying good foundation for Lagos as a mega city, which won him the award as the Best Political Role Model. She congratulated other awardees too for their noble role in their different areas of calling.

The Guest Speaker, political analyst/lecturer, Dr. Nick Idoko, lauded Fashola’s administration for his effort to make Lagos a mega city, particularly for organizing three major summits on how the Lagos mega city project should look like and for bringing in experts to deliberate on the subject.

“In the design made by Fashola’s administration, there was to be a multi-modern transportation system by road, sea, air, among others,” he noted but, however, added that he only succeeded in procuring buses. He declared: “As long as we have shanties or slums in areas like Ajegunle, Mushin, Amukoko, Mile 12, we are still far from achieving the goal of a mega city.”