BY RITA OYIBOKA
The President of the National Association of Illah Students (NAIS), Comr Ifeoma Njoagwuani, has charged students and youth in the Illah community to reject cultism and drug abuse and embrace education as a tool for building a safer and more progressive community.
She made this known during an inter-school competition organised by the association for primary and secondary schools in Illah, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The competition brought together six primary schools and two secondary schools across the community and was supported by the Illah Youth Association of Nigeria (IYAN).
The event featured a variety of activities, including a spelling bee, quiz competitions on diverse subjects, cultural dance displays and poetry presentations. It also incorporated sensitisation talks on social issues such as cultism, drug abuse and the importance of empowering the girl child.
Speaking during the programme, Comr Njoagwuani explained that the initiative formed part of the association’s annual inter-school competition but noted that the 2026 edition was designed with a deliberate thematic focus on pressing social concerns affecting young people.
According to her, the initiative was designed not only to promote academic competition among schools but also to expose students to critical societal issues that could shape their decisions and future.
“You do not get people talking to you about these important issues all the time. With what they have heard and learnt today, we hope it will help them make good decisions and encourage pupils and students to do better academically,” she added.
Also speaking, the President-General of the Illah Youth Association of Nigeria (IYAN), ESV Nsolo Chukwudi, stressed that sustained sensitisation and engagement were necessary in addressing social vices among youths.
“We felt that many young people missed it in the past because there was no constant sensitisation. But from the way we are going now, we will continue to do this so they can become conscious of what is happening around them. At the end of the day, we will overcome it because it is a menace troubling everybody around us,” he said.
He urged students in the community to remain focused on their education and avoid distractions capable of derailing their future.
At the end of the competition, Joe Everbright Nursery and Primary School emerged as the overall winner. A highlight of the event was the presentation of awards and cash prizes to the winning schools in their respective categories.
