By Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
The legal Adviser to the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS Ekiti State chapter, Mr Olayiwola Afolabi, SAN, has called on pubic spirited individuals to contribute to the human capital development process of Ekiti state.
Mr Afolabi stated this when he presented 20 wigs and gowns to the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice for onward distribution to indigent Law graduates of the state’s origin as his contribution to support the training of young Lawyers.
Mr Afolabi said the lawyers apparel which he donated and his various scholarship and support programmes for students and various classes of people were his own way to give back to the society.
Represented by leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS Ekiti State,led by its chairman Comrade Sola Adigun and Secretary, Comrade Adeola Augustine, the Senior Lawyer argued that the quality of manpower Ekiti contributed to the Education sector, particularly tertiary education years ago, earning the state the famous title of ‘ Fountain of Knowledge’ was almost becoming history due to the neglect the education sector had suffered.
“If you cast your mind back, a time it was that our state could sufficiently export human capital to other states or neighbouring countries and get valuable tax remittance from such, but now take a look at the data of annual induction of Doctors,Lawyers and other Professionals in Nigeria, our state is no longer where it used to be and we must begin to collectively make efforts to reverse the trend”
Mr Afolabi commended the Governor Biodun Oyebanji for an improved attention paid to the Education sector, most especially Secondary School education which he described the height of basic education that could guarantee the survival of an average indigent citizen.
He also commended the Governor for recently hosting natives of the state who are Senior Advocates of Nigeria, a development who he believed would encourage young Lawyers from the state to work harder.
In a remark, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata SAN who received the gifts on behalf of the state government thanked the Senior Lawyer for his decision to give back to the state that way.
Mr Apata said in his almost 35 years of legal practice both at the state and federal civil service, it was the first time an individual would make such donation of wig and gowns for indigent lawyers.
He said the donated wigs and gowns would be judiciously distributed among beneficiaries who would be determined through a fair and transparent process.
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