The National Senate Arm of the National Association of Ebira Students (NAES) has conferred an Award of Excellence on the Special Adviser to the Kogi State Governor on Youth and Student Matters, Hon. Oladele John Nihi.
The award was presented on Monday when the leadership of the NAES Senate, led by its President, Comr. Abdulrasheed Adeiza Isah, paid a courtesy visit to Nihi in his office in Lokoja.
Isah said the association honoured Nihi in recognition of his sustained contributions to youth and student development in Kogi State and across Nigeria. He described Nihi, who is also the Vice-President (West Africa) of the Pan-African Youth Union, as a consistent advocate for student welfare, leadership development and youth empowerment.
According to him, the student body has followed Nihi’s interventions through the Oladele John Nihi (OJN) Foundation, his annual youth leadership lecture, and his policies as Special Adviser, which have continued to create platforms and opportunities for young people.
Responding, Nihi thanked the leadership of NAES for the honour, describing it as humbling and motivating.
“I sincerely appreciate the leadership of NAES for this recognition. For me, an award is not an end in itself but a renewed call to do more in the service of our students and young people,” he said.
Nihi reiterated the commitment of the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to advancing student welfare, unity, and opportunity through deliberate youth-focused programmes.
He assured the student leaders that his office would continue to support initiatives that promote academic excellence, leadership development and peaceful co-existence among students across tertiary institutions.
He also charged the NAES Senate to remain a bastion of purposeful student unionism and to continue to champion the interests of Ebira students at home and in the diaspora.
The visit ended with discussions on areas of collaboration between the Office of the Special Adviser and NAES, particularly on youth engagement, entrepreneurship and student empowerment programmes.
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