Oyo south senatorial candidate of Allied Peoples’ Movement and member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adedeji Dhikrullahi Olajide Odidiomo, has commended the Students’ Union Government (SUG) and the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Ibadan for promoting legislative excellence, intellectual engagement and leadership development among the student body.
Hon. Adedeji Olajide gave the commendation at the Odidiomo Students’ Legislative Summit, organized by the Students Representatives Council at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, on Tuesday, stressing that platforms that expose students to legislative processes and public leadership are essential to preparing the next generation of Nigerian leaders.
He described the summit, themed “The Service Paradigm: Transforming Mindsets for Service Driven Leadership in Nigeria,” as a commendable initiative that highlights the longstanding tradition of intellectual excellence associated with the premier university.
The lawmaker, who has consistently expressed support for initiatives surrounding youth development, said student leadership should be viewed as an important training ground for public service and democratic participation. He urged the University of Ibadan student leadership to continue creating opportunities for constructive debate, accountability and policy engagement, saying leadership should not be measured by visibility or the prestige attached to office, but by the value created for the people being served. According to him, “the true measure of leadership is the public value created through the exercise of responsibility,” urging student leaders to ask what problems they were solving, who benefited from their decisions and how the outcomes could be sustained beyond their tenure.
Speaking on the changing demands of leadership, particularly in an increasingly technology driven society, Hon. Olajide Odidiomo challenged the students to acquire skills beyond their academic disciplines and prepare themselves for the realities of modern governance and the economy. He said artificial intelligence, digital platforms, cybersecurity, data and emerging technologies have become critical to national development, adding that future lawyers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, administrators and legislators must understand the technological forces reshaping society.
He urged the students to replace entitlement with responsibility and personal interest with public interest, stressing that “we cannot build a 21st century economy with a 20th-century mindset.”
Odidiomo who sponsored the summit with a 50 million naira grant also pledged his continued support for initiatives that promote student development, leadership capacity and meaningful engagement, describing the students of the University of Ibadan as an important part of Nigeria’s future leadership pool.
He commended the SUG and SRC for using the summit to promote conversations around public service and responsible leadership, while urging the participants to take the lessons beyond the conference hall. “The task before us is not simply to produce more leaders. It is to produce better servants for the public good,” he said, adding that the Nigeria of tomorrow would be built by young citizens who begin, wherever they are, to practise leadership as service.
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