With rising youth unemployment and the decline in the moral fabric among young people globally, the need for a platform for re-engaging the youth, re-focusing their latent talents and energies, was the focus of the Global Youth Convocation organized recently by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
The programme which was held from 5th to 9th January 2022, at the Deeper Life International Conference Centre (DLICC) had participants connecting at various centers in Nigeria and other nations of the world.
The convocation brought together hundreds of thousands of youths from every part of the world with a huge number participating virtually, globally.
It was a unique experience
Leading the convocation was the General Superintendent of DCLM, Pastor William Kumuyi; former Chairman of First Bank, Ibukun Awosika;, Business Innovator, Iyinola Aboyeji; and Guest Gospel Music Artiste, Dunsin Oyekan. Others were the Council Chairman of Chrisland University, Prof Ayodeji Olukoju; Vice-Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Prof Samuel Esuomiekumo.
The programme also featured international youth influencers, industry leaders, and other resource persons, addressing the youths on various social, economic, spiritual, and other aspects of life.
Participants react
The participants across the country gave thumbs-up to the programme.
From Lagos, Victor Lanre, a student who attended the event, said that he was blessed at the programme. “I was taught the way to success in life which is embedded in Christ and hard work. I am blessed as God touch me and visited me.”
Also, in her words, another participant, Abigail Lanre said that it was a fantastic programme. “We were treated with inspiring songs and messages from heavenly minded speakers that will stay with me for a long time to come.”
She noted that Pastor Kumuyi’s explicit explanations about impact and examples he gave from the scriptures about people who made an Impact in their world, “are things I have promised to follow through.”
Speaking at the event, Kumuyi said the need for Nigerian youths to adequately equip themselves spiritually and formally is imperative for them to play the role thrust on them by God, as the veritable future of nations.
Kumuyi added: “the youth population of any nation is pivotal to its development. Also equipping the youth means targeting their creative potentials, their enthusiastic energy, and their capacity to attempt and adapt new ways of thinking. This is how change that works in societies is driven by the youth.”
He said Impact was designed for all categories of youths from teenagers, campus and recent graduates of youths and young adults.
Pastor Kumuyi urged young people to follow the example of his vision, drive and push.
”It is time for you to fly,” he said. “I’m still flying. I still have a vision, I still have a goal, I still have a project, and I still have a lot of things. If I’m still flying, follow after me. Catch up with me and then go beyond and then I will see you up there and say I hand over to you.
“I’m much older than you are, but you see me standing, I’m strong. You see me walking, I’m strong. The mark of old age, those who are going down, the mark is in the brain, the brain goes down, cannot read, cannot learn, cannot think, and cannot do anything.
“When the brain is gone, everything is gone. My brain is still intact.
Pastor Kumuyi adopts Dunsin Oyekan as son
It was an intriguing moment as gospel singers, Duceen Oyekan who ministered at the event was adopted as kingdom son by Pastor William Kumuyi. Oyekan who ministered for 33 minutes, mesmerised the participants with spiritual songs. One of this notable song-Holy Spirit Breath on me took the youths to a greater level of worship.
Pastor Kumuyi said: “It was a pleasure to have both Dunsin Oyekan and Aboyeji Iyinoluwa as guests at IMPACT 2022.
”These are young men who God has raised in the kingdom for a time like this.
After my conversation with Minister Dunsin Oyekan yesterday, I have adopted him as a kingdom son,” he said.
Oyekan who was born in Ilorin on 5 November 1984, is a Nigerian gospel singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist, and recording artist.
He is popularly known as – The Eagle. He is also the convener of the Code Red Worship Experience.
In a communiqué issued at the organizer highlighted some far challenges facing the youth and explore reaching recommendations: The Convocation duly acknowledged a number of government initiatives devoted to youths, such as Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YOU-WIN), Training Programme (TVET), Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), the SURE-P Technical Vocational Education, Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), as well as N-Power, Government Economic Empowerment Program (GEEP), and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT).
The convocation noted that the Nigerian government had re-classified youths as those between 15 and 29 years old and passed a Not-Too-Young-To-Run Law. It also noted that although there are youth-specific targets in a number of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals such as Goal 2 (hunger), Goal 4 (education), Goal 5 (gender equality) among others, the global agenda should have devoted a more specific goal to youths.
At the end of the presentations, seminars and ministrations, the Convocation identified some of the issues negatively affecting the youths in Nigeria and across the world which include: The neglect of the youths, a critical and considerably predominant social demographic, and non-implementation of various policies propounded by governments and other entities;
“The rapidly increasing instances of deviant culture among youths, decline in positive social role models; Treatment of youths as a monolithic entity without disaggregation according to age, educational and professional classification by various government policies
“The accelerated loss of moral values and decline in ethical standards in society, global economic crisis and high rates of youth unemployment, and social media distorted worldviews, etc. leading to high moral decadence, anti-social and criminal acts, and dysfunctional societies”.
“Inadequate platforms for youths to express themselves in wholesome ways which make much recourse to various anti-social and anti-state behaviour. It went further to recommend that: repositioning the youths is pivotal to the growth and development of our nation and the world at large; Fundamental issues affecting teenagers, campus students and young adults be prioritized by government and other stakeholders”
“A comprehensive youth policy be developed to address issues specific to the various categories of youths; Transformation agenda must characterize this and similar global youth-focused initiatives to address the ills in the world of youths”.
“The void in the social life of youths must be addressed by entrenching civic, moral and ethical values in the educational curriculum”;
It stated that governments of nations should prioritise the identified youth-specific targets in the Agenda 2030 while the global community should specifically focus on youths in future global agenda.
“Governments at all levels should mainstream youth development initiatives, fund and implement more youth-focused intervention programmes.
“Youths should be equipped with appropriate secular education, soft and life skills to prepare them for positive engagement in formulating and implementing policies meant for their social category.
”Periodic events, like Impact 2022, should be encouraged as a platform for re-engaging the youth, re-focusing their latent talents and energies, and so as to give them a voice.”
In her words, Ibukun Awosika, who spoke on the theme: ‘Leadership & Godliness’ said an example is a bigger teacher than what we say, saying that God gave us the power to choose. To be a leader is about the divine power of God that works through you. The beginning of a journey does not define the end. Leadership has been tied to title, but that is not what it should be.
Awosika posited that leadership is the attribute of your life that you manifest; ability to influence others through godly leadership.
She asserted that the environment will always try to condition you to do things contrary to God’s plan. It is not about the journey, but how you finish.
