The Visioner of Heritage Youth Empowerment Centre (HYEC) Pastor Lawrence Onochie has charged church leaders to invest in activities that will redirect youths toward nation building and national emancipation.
He said this at the 6th edition of Discovery For Youths (D4Y) organised by Heritage Youth Empowerment Centre (HYEC) in Lagos.
The event was tagged Emerging leaders: a wake-up call towards unleashing a deeper sense of action and responsibility towards self and society.
It attracted over 1,500 youths with speakers such as Chief Executive Officer-of Rise Network Toyosi Akerele; comedian, Woli Arole, Iyabo Ojo, former House of Representatives member Bimbo Daramola, Dayo Israel and Ubong King.
Onochie said that the church has a responsibility to evoke the leadership quality resident in young people with a precursor set at influencing positively and initiating a much needed constructive change in the society.
He stated Nigeria needs new crop of leaders towards the emergence of a new nation.
He lamented several promising youths have missed their direction while even more are yet to find any directions at all.
According to him: “Some lost themselves amid the raging moral and societal decadence; giving in to substance abuse, hooliganism/cultism, robbery, prostitution, internet fraud etc. whilst some waddle in sheer ignorance, limited in their thinking.”
Onochie said the essence of Discovery for Youth (D4Y) is to save the day.
“Our mandate is directed at these youths, where they are met at that undefined point of their lives for a complete ‘overhaul’ of mindset.
“The mind remotely controls the entire being and I believe that once the mindset of any individual is altered, a new chapter begins.
“For us, it is a deliberate and intentional journey to usher those from the backside to the front side, and we do not think anyone is beyond redeemable; it might take time but with steady concentration and determination, it’s possible to get transformed,” he stated.
He asserted that based on this premise, the D4Y platform hosts speakers, who themselves have been at their lowest points before, but are leaders.
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