The 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has urged Nigerian students to actively participate in politics and contribute to nation-building.
Abe, who represented Rivers South-East District in the National Assembly, noted that while the primary responsibility of students is to focus on their studies, it was equally important for them to take part in political processes, whose outcomes directly impact their lives.
Speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of a one-day colloquium held in Port Harcourt on Saturday to mark his 60th birthday, which was organised by the Progressive Students Network in Rivers State, Abe urged students to actively participate in politics.
Represented by a former spokesperson of the SDP campaign council during the 2023 election, Dr Bethel Oko-Jaja, Abe said, “As students, their basic objective now is to study and graduate.”
He, however, said, “While that is ongoing, you must also acquaint yourself with developments in the state, particularly when it has to do with politics.”
Abe said, “Certainly, whoever emerges as a governor, local government chairman, president, House of Assembly member, senator, or House of Representatives member will affect the populace that he or she is representing.
“So, as a student, you must prepare to vote. If you have your voter card, on voting day, you must come out and cast your vote for the candidate of your choice.
“You must know the candidate you are voting for so that the person will represent you very well and do what is expected of an elected or appointed official.”
Abe also emphasised that students could play a critical role as watchdogs, assessing the performance of public officeholders to ensure accountability and efficiency.
“The students also have a role to play. They can come together, form a synergy to assess aspirants and candidates from different political parties and decide who to vote for.
“Those persons that have concern for students’ welfare, those that care about the citizens’ well-being, those who are committed to making life better, these are the kind of leaders you should support.
“When we have good and quality leaders, they will certainly do the right thing, and when the right thing is done, everybody will be happy,” he said.
Abe’s spokesperson, Dr Parry Benson, lauded the students for the initiative, describing it as a meaningful way to honour the former lawmaker.
Benson stated, “This programme today is to honour him. A group of students called the Progressive Students Network came together on their own, started advertising for people to contribute articles, compiled those articles into a compendium, and asked me to write the foreword.
“This is one of the best things that has happened here, putting these ideas together. Senator Abe is a principled man. Much of the love and even some of the hatred for Senator Abe comes from the fact that he does not compromise.”
The President of the Progressive Students Network, Woji Enyindah, said the event was organised to celebrate Abe’s contributions to education in Rivers State.
“When it comes to the educational sector in Rivers State, I believe that there’s no other elite individual who has contributed more to the growth and development of education than Senator Magnus Abe.
“So, in honour of his 60th birthday, we thought it wise to put this event together to appreciate and celebrate him.
“And it’s not just the Students’ Network, this honour also comes from the Progressive Lecturers Network, making it a collective gesture from the academic community.
“To commemorate his legacy, we produced a Festschrift titled Politics, Law, and Nation Building in his honour,” he said.
At the event, scholarship grants of N400,000 each were awarded to five PhD students in various tertiary institutions in the state, courtesy of Senator Abe.
At a similar event organised by the Igbo Concerned Citizens in Rivers State to mark Abe’s 60th birthday, another book, titled “Ambition is Not Treason,” authored by Benson, was launched in his honour.
