Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that any country that failed to invest in the education of its citizen will be faced with vices in the future.
Jonathan disclosed this in Yenagoa during the Bayelsa Heroes Award for Academic Excellence organised by the Future Leaders Project.
The former president, represented by the former Commissioner for Education in Bayelsa, Chief Tobias James, said that he made deliberate investment in education because of his belief in its importance.
“Education is one of the ways to lift people out of poverty and support them to achieve prosperity. It is also my belief that any nation that does not spend its wealth and resources to develop the capacity of its youths will eventually be forced to devout its resources to fighting insecurity among same youths,” he said.
He commended the organisers of the event for rewarding excellence while challenging the awardees to make good use of their knowledge for the development of the state, country and for the good of mankind.
The Senior Adviser of FLP and Former Bayelsa State Governorship Candidate, Moses Siloko Siasia said it is the right time to change the narrative about Bayelsa, arguing that many see the youths from the state as militants and opportunists. Siasia who narrated the success stories of some Bayelsans noted that Bayelsa is the home of excellence, blessed with men and women who can compete favourably in any part of the world and he also stated that the event was to compliment the Educational effort of the Bayelsa State Government.
In his remark, the executive secretary of FLP, Mr. Victor Sameria, who boast of a First-Class degree in Law from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and distinction in his post graduate programme from the same university, said there is a mentorship scheme for those who distinguished themselves in their academic programmes. The 23-year-old also announced that there are scholarship programmes for undergraduate awardees to further their studies at foreign universities willing to partner with the organisation.
“We have a mentorship scheme for those who distinguished themselves in their academic programmes. I make bold to say that most of the awardees today will go through the scheme. About two weeks ago, the Lagos state governor adopted the best graduating students from Lagos State University, nothing stops our leaders from doing same to encourage academic excellence in Bayelsa,” he added.
The chairman of the occasion and frontline architect, Harcourt Adukeh praised the organisers, noting that this is the Bayelsa of his dream.
“This is the beginning of something new about the narrative for Bayelsa. What the Future Leaders Project is doing for Bayelsa is the same thing that Harvard University is doing for the United States of America. They get a lot of bright youths, bring them together for networking. They interact and take decisions that will shape the future. It is the turn of these ones (the awardees) to write the story of Bayelsa,” he added.
One of the awardees, Ruth Ebikaboere Omu, who bagged awards for her undergraduate and post graduate programmes lauded the organsiers, stressing that her success story despite the challenges she faced in her academic pursuit should serve as a motivation to young Nigerians that they can achieve their dreams.
Four eminent indigenes of the state, including Nigerian historian and Professor emeritus, Prof Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa were also given special recognition awards.
