The leadership and membership of the Wakirike National Students Union have been called upon to play a major role in re-orienting youth against drug involvement and other criminal activities and to turn new leaves.
This advice was given by the Sole Administrator of the Okrika Local Government Area, Engr. Tamunobipiboye Thompson Isodiki, when the Wakirike National Students Union and leaders of the various Campuses students union paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
Engr. Isodiki expressed concern about the high level of drug addiction and other criminal activities involving the young people, stressing that if this trend wasn’t checked, it would create serious problems in the local government area.
He said, as students, “I expect you to discourage young people who are seriously involved in these acts as to create a crime free society. My stay in office is not tenured, but I will pursue people oriented programmes and projects for the overall benefits of our people.
“My decision to embark upon the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer Base Testing (CBT) centre is aimed at reducing the pain experienced by the teeming population of candidates of our local government area who have to go very far to write this test”.
He pointed out that the recent take over of the Ogoloma Youth Centre by the Council was a deliberate attempt to get a place to train youth to acquire skills, to provide middle level manpower and create employment opportunities among our youth.
On the issue of Bursary payment raised by the students, he said “as essential as it is, the Government will study the situation among other pressing issues and within available resources we will pay Bursary in due time”.
The Sole Administrator noted with delight that various activities and programmes have been initiated by the Students and assured them that the Council would assist in partnering with them to execute these laudable programmes.
Sir Isodiki thanked the students for the visit and said they should be focused on their studies and avoid issues that would bring shame to their parents and the generality of the local government area.
The Chief of Staff to the Sole Administrator, Dr Paul Wakama cautioned the students not to embark on journeys to across the country for welfare reasons bearing in mind the prevailing security risks such journeys may entail, adding that they should rather take advantage of the global communication system to reach out to other students.
Earlier, the National President of the Wakirike Students Union, Mr Owubokiri Bright Jamabo congratulated the Sole Administrator on his appointment and announced him as the Patron of the union by reason of his appointment.
Mr Jamabo disclosed that the Union would carry out summer classes during the long vacation to teach secondary school pupils in all subjects and the Okrika Language, too.
He appealed to the Sole Administrator to pay Bursary to students and sponsor its various activities and programmes, especially the Cultural Day Programme of the Rivers State College of Health and Science and promised that the students would always support the Sole Administrator to succeed in office.
