Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said he had never
taken alcohol or smoked cigarettes in his life because of their side effects on
the human system.
Akpabio declared this while admonishing children of various
secondary schools across the country who participated in the grand finale of
the National Quiz Competition organised by the National Institute For
Legislative And Democratic Studies.
The theme of the competition was “The Legislature And
Democracy”.
Akpabio who commended the participating schools for getting
to the finals of the exercise, urged the youths to steer off vices that could
affect their dreams and aspirations in life.
He specifically urged them to refrain from taking alcohol or
engaging in smoking any form of substance that could be injurious to their
health.
He said, “You should strive to become visionary leaders in
the future by abstaining from things that would truncate your dreams and goals.
“In my case, I have never smoked cigarettes or taken alcohol
before. This is because, growing up, I listened to parental guidance.
“As a kid, I usually see a man who would stagger on the road
and fall into the gutters. I asked my mum who told me it was because he was
drunk.”
The Senate President added, “Some people would drink alcohol
and drive home while others would drink and drive to paradise”
Akpabio said Nigeria deserves honest youths who are
God-fearing.
The Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, similar competitions
were held at the state level, involving secondary schools drawn from the three
senatorial zones in the 36 states.
He said the participating schools emerged from a competitive
process with the School for the Gifted in Gwagwalada, representing the North
Central and the FCT Zone.
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He said the ‘Pen Resource Academy represents the North East,
while ‘Government Pilot Secondary School, Daura’, represents the North West.
Sulaiman said, “Representing the South-South and the
South-East are ‘Community Secondary Uyo, Akwa Ibom State’, and ‘Saint Theresa’s
College Nsukka, Enugu State’, respectively.
“Lastly, ‘the Greater Tomorrow International School,
Arigidi-Ikare Akoko, Ondo State’, represents the South West.”
He said this year’s quiz is also the first since the 10th
National Assembly was inaugurated and the first since President Bola Ahmed
Tinubu’s administration.
He said, “As you may have observed, both private and
government schools are represented in this quiz competition.
“This is a reflection of the commitment of the 10th National
Assembly to prioritise education for all in line with the 8-Point Agenda of the
President, the Legislative Agenda of both Houses of the National Assembly, as
well as Sustainable Development Goals 4
“In a time where youth participation in civic, political,
and governance spaces is either low or challenged by a lack of access to
opportunities, the NILDS Quiz competition serves as a vehicle for engagement
and advocacy to close the youth exclusion gap and raise leaders that would
champion democratic processes and serve as change agents.”
Suleiman added, “Over the last seven editions of this
competition, we have observed that schools that participate in the quiz at the
state level and at the final stage are amply represented by girls and boys.
“This is a further attestation to the fact that if the
constraints on access to education at all levels are addressed, education for
boys and girls would drive our national development.”
At the end of the keenly contested event, Saint Theresa’s
College Nsukka, Enugu State won the competition.
Greater Tomorrow International School, Arigidi-Ikare Akoko,
Ondo State came second while the School for the Gifted in Gwagwalada came third
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