With the aim of impacting soft skills-leadership, work and values, a four -day Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) played host to 100 Nigerian youths ranging from 18-35 years of age in Lagos.
The programme which is an initiative of Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa, a non-profit organisation in partnership with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPco) held on October 28-31.
According to Director of Programmes LEAP Africa, Mr. Oje Ivagba, YEP is born out the need to bring positive change in Nigeria through the orientating of young Nigerians.
“This is a platform to teach actionable knowledge that will bring about transformed young Nigerians. Our young people will be equipped with the right skills needed to lead today in a morally upright manner,” Ivagba added.
YEP which takes a participatory method of engaging participants and facilitators is an initiative of LEAP Africa which has worked in 26 states of Nigeria, reached over 250,000 people through its numerous speaking engagements both internationally and locally.
Among the 100 participants, Ayodele Okundalaiye didn’t hide his satisfaction at the wealth of knowledge garnered from the programme.
“I am very excited about this life changing opportunity. It has afforded me the visa to learn a whole lot of leadership qualities. This has indeed been educative, interactive and inspiring,” Okundalaiye said.
As a result of the programme, Okundalaiye promises to pass down the experience gained from the programme to others in order to bring about change.
He said : “I have attended several similar programmes in the past, but this particular one is different. With these skills gained, I promise to train others so that the society will be a transformed place.”
While commending LEAP Africa for putting up the programme, Ishola Ebenezer, President, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, called on other institutions to key into impacting youths of Nigeria to salvage the already eroding values.
“This is a commendable and worthy programme. It has helped in instilling positive values in the youths. As we all know, the erosion of values remains one of the major challenges stunting Nigeria’s development. I advise other companies to look into this direction for their CSR activities because there are a lot of such positively impacting endeavours lacking support,” Ebenezer said.
Oluseyi Ojurongbe, Programmesn Co-ordinator, LEAP Africa, believes YEP will help bridge the gap of leadership that has exist in Africa adding that YEP will help then participants connect to their inner self and be better people of Nigeria.
For Tosin, a participant at YEP, she confessed that she has been able to discover herself and the skills needed to make a good leader.
“With this programme, I have learnt that I do not need to be the governor to lead nor effect change. But from my little corner at home, in my community, among friends we can lead and promote moral and ethical values needed to transform a nation,” she added.
