Education

Rise above social vices, inspire change – LASU VC charges Nigerian youth

The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has urged Nigerian youth to rise above social vices and take responsibility for inspiring change in their communities. She made this call in her keynote address at the Zero Tolerance for Social Immoralities Initiative (ZETSI) Africa Leadership Conference 3.0, held on Wednesday, 27th August 2025…

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The conference, which brought together over 1,000 students from tertiary institutions across the country both physically and virtually, also saw Prof. Olatunji-Bello honoured by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement and ZETSI Africa as “Vice-Chancellor of the Year” for her exemplary fight against social immoralities at LASU.

The event, chaired by ZETSI Africa’s Chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Abdulrazak Imam, had the First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq, as Mother of the Day. It featured several prominent speakers, including the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Asefon Sunday; the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Solomon Adodo; and Managing Partner of LawCorridor, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi, among others.

In her remarks, the LASU Vice-Chancellor described the surge in social vices as a reflection of poverty, weak institutions, and poor governance. According to her, these vices often emerge as a “silent rebellion against a failed system”, where corruption appears more rewarding than integrity and hard work goes unnoticed.

She urged the youth to redirect their creativity, skills, and resilience towards nation-building, explaining that the analytical skills behind betting could transform the financial sector, the digital ingenuity misapplied in fraud could power global technology companies, and the loyalty misused in cultism could be harnessed to build movements of peace and innovation.

She expressed optimism that Nigeria could rise under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assuring young people that “renewed hope is emerging” and that “Nigeria will work again.”

To illustrate her point, Professor Olatunji-Bello cited LASU’s transformation over the past years. She recalled how the institution, once riddled with cultism and other vices, is today celebrated as the most sought-after university in Nigeria. She attributed this success to purposeful leadership and highlighted some of the measures her administration introduced, including stronger security and surveillance, encouragement of sports and social clubs to counter cultism, the establishment of the War Against Drug Abuse Club, the abolition of harmful sign-out rituals, and the enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence through the Centre for Response and Prevention of SGBV. These, she said, were deliberate interventions to create an environment where students thrive positively and responsibly.

Concluding her address, the Vice-Chancellor challenged young Nigerians to change their outlook, urging them to shift “from hopelessness to hope, from cynicism to faith, from blaming leaders to becoming leaders, and from rebellion through vices to resistance through creativity, innovation, and moral courage.”

She emphasised that the destiny of Nigeria rests as much in their hands as in those of public officeholders, calling on them to take responsibility for shaping their future and that of the nation.

In his remarks, Ambassador Imam described the ZETSI conference as more than a gathering, saying it’s a movement of young Nigerians determined to reclaim their future from the grip of destructive habits. He stressed the need for a generation of leaders who are not only intellectually sound but also morally upright.

As part of the day’s proceedings, the Students Against Immoralities (SAI) Club was inaugurated – a platform designed to strengthen the campaign against social vices across Nigerian campuses.

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