Senator Salisu Empowers 1,000 Ogun Central Students, Rewards WASSCE Best With Laptops
ABEOKUTA — Senator Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, representing Ogun Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has empowered more than 1,000 students with educational materials and rewarded the best male and female students in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) with laptops.
The intervention, which marked the third edition of Salisu’s education empowerment programme, was held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, where beneficiaries received school bags, exercise books, JAMB past questions, mathematical sets and other learning materials.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, said the initiative was designed to ease the financial burden on parents while equipping students with the tools needed to improve their academic performance.
Speaking on the theme, “Investing in Education, Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders,” Salisu said his education interventions extended beyond the distribution of learning materials to the provision of ICT centres, science laboratories and other infrastructure across Ogun Central.
He said the initiative was informed partly by his personal educational experience, recalling that he was once the first graduate in his family, which he said now has close to 100 graduates across various professions.
Salisu also recounted how participating in a quiz and debating programme broadcast by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in 1980 helped shape his educational journey.
According to him, the encouragement he received from his father after watching the programme, coupled with his mother’s counsel to remain confident in doing what was right, strengthened his determination to pursue education.
The senator, who worked in the private sector and banking before serving in multinational organisations and later becoming Chief of Staff in Ogun State, said his experiences had reinforced his belief in education as a pathway to creating opportunities for young people.
As part of the programme, Salisu presented laptops to the best male and female students in the 2026 WASSCE in Ogun Central.
The best male student, Ogunlade John Omotolani, a physically challenged SS3 student of St. Peter’s Grammar School, was rewarded with a laptop for his outstanding academic performance.
Similarly, Busari Kaosarat Aramide of Community High School, Oluke, received a laptop after emerging as the best female student in the examination in the senatorial district.
Other outstanding students, including physically challenged students from St. Peter’s Grammar School and Ansar-deen Grammar School, Ishaga Orile, were also recognised for their academic achievements.
Salisu commended the students for their performance, particularly those from public schools and less privileged backgrounds, saying their achievements showed what young people could accomplish when provided with the necessary support and opportunities.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, commended the senator for the initiative, describing it as an investment in the future of the beneficiaries.
Arigbabu urged the students to put the materials to good use and remain committed to their studies, adding that the intervention complemented the state government’s efforts in the education sector.
The commissioner disclosed that the ministry would be interested in monitoring the academic progress of the beneficiaries to assess the impact of the intervention.
He recalled that Salisu had previously rewarded outstanding students, including two University of Lagos graduates who achieved a 5.0 GPA and received laptops, with one of the beneficiaries subsequently securing a full scholarship.
Oke-Ona Grammar School Wins Debate
The event also featured a debate competition involving 32 students drawn from 16 secondary schools across Ogun Central.
Oke-Ona Grammar School, Abeokuta, emerged winner of the competition, which was held on the topic, “The Benefits of A1 in Education Outweigh Its Risks.”
The school received a cash prize of N200,000, while Ebenezer Grammar School, which came second, received N150,000.
United Comprehensive High School, Wasimi, placed third and received N50,000, while Ibusi Comprehensive High School, Ifo, and Lafenwa High School also received N50,000 each.
Salisu reaffirmed his commitment to promoting educational development in Ogun Central, stressing that sustained investment in education remained critical to equipping young people with the knowledge and skills required to contribute meaningfully to society.
