The Nation Newspaper

Tag: young

  • ‘I still feel young at 80’

    ‘I still feel young at 80’

    The Founder, Ganiyu Williams and Co (a firm of chartered accountants), Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajadi Williams, has celebrated his 80th birthday in Lagos, reports OLATUNDE ODEBIYI.

    Before noon that day, many Islamic clerics were already seated inside the hall of Eko Club in Surulere, Lagos waiting to lead thanksgiving prayers for the 80th birthday of Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajadi Williams, an accountant.

    The hall was tastefully furnished. The men sat on the right side; the women on the left.

    The colour for the day was purple. Some guests wore uniformed Ankara fabric specially chosen for the occasion.

    The Master of Ceremony (MC), Alhaji Mohammed Akewushola, introduced guests, stating the purpose of the gathering. He was assisted by Alhaji Isiaq Alaye.

    Alhaji Ibrahim Ashorobi and Alhaji Hakeem Thompson, among other clerics, led the prayers.

    Alhaji Abdul Rasaq Ariyo recited portions of the Quaran.

    In his sermon, Alhaji Ibrahim Afinih, described the celebrator as a  man who has been serving God well.

    The cleric urged the gathering not to serve God half-heartedly.

    After the prayer, guests posed for photographs with the birthday ‘boy’, who didn’t look his age. He stood and walked unaided.

    At the reception, guests were treated to varieties of food and drinks. The Eko Brass Band supplied music.

    The celebrator and his family members hardly sat throughout the event. They went round greeting and attending to guests.

    The celebrator was full of gratitude that he clocked 80 and prayed God that he would be 90.

    He thanked his wife, children, family members and friends who came to rejoice with him.

    He said: “I feel excited and I am grateful to God because I enjoy good health. I still feel young and I am full of life.

    “Today’s celebration is the reflection of the little I have been able to do years back, but, I still feel I am not fulfilled because there is still a lot that I can do and that I hope to do by the grace of God.

    “At 80, I have learnt in life that whatever we are destined to be, we will be; it may take time, it may be longer than we think but whatever happens we will get there if we are steadfast, prayerful and put our trust in God”.

    The celebrator’s first daughter, Mrs Abidemi Williams, a business woman described her father as a good man.

    His son and Personal Assistant to Lagos State deputy governor, Akinola Williams, described his father as his good friend because he listens and understands situations.

    “Daddy taught us to pray five times daily to be a good Muslim and to be responsible Lagosians,” he said.

    Senator Muniru Muse thanked God for the celebration, saying the celebrator is a man that should be emulated in all the good things of life. He said the celebrator does not look 80 physically.

    Chief Musiliu Anibaba, former president of Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria, (ICAN), described the celebrator as a successful chartered accountant, who runs one of the most successful indigenous practices in Nigeria.

    Eko Club President Babatunde Grillo said the celebrator is a former president of the club, and one of its founding fathers, adding that he has done so much for the club. “We are happy for him and we thank God for making today possible and for giving him the opportunity to celebrate 80 years,” he said.

    He told the celebrator to devote his life to Allah because he is fulfilled.

    Former Chairman, Surulere Local Government Wazee Uthman described the celebrator as a nice man.

  • ‘I still feel young at 80’

    ‘I still feel young at 80’

    The Founder, Ganiyu Williams and Co (a firm of chartered accountants), Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajadi Williams, has celebrated

    Before noon that day, many Islamic clerics were already seated inside the hall of Eko Club in Surulere, Lagos waiting to lead thanksgiving prayers for the 80th birthday of Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajadi Williams, an accountant.

    The hall was tastefully furnished. The men sat on the right side; the women on the left.

    The colour for the day was purple. Some guests wore uniformed Ankara fabric specially chosen for the occasion.

    The Master of Ceremony (MC), Alhaji Mohammed Akewushola, introduced guests, stating the purpose of the gathering. He was assisted by Alhaji Isiaq Alaye.

    Alhaji Ibrahim Ashorobi and Alhaji Hakeem Thompson, among other clerics, led the prayers.

    Alhaji Abdul Rasaq Ariyo recited portions of the Quaran.

    In his sermon, Alhaji Ibrahim Afinih, described the celebrator as a  man who has been serving God well.

    The cleric urged the gathering not to serve God half-heartedly.

    After the prayer, guests posed for photographs with the birthday ‘boy’, who didn’t look his age. He stood and walked unaided.

    At the reception, guests were treated to varieties of food and drinks. The Eko Brass Band supplied music.

    The celebrator and his family members hardly sat throughout the event. They went round greeting and attending to guests.

    The celebrator was full of gratitude that he clocked 80 and prayed God that he would be 90.

    He thanked his wife, children, family members and friends who came to rejoice with him.

    He said: “I feel excited and I am grateful to God because I enjoy good health. I still feel young and I am full of life.

    “Today’s celebration is the reflection of the little I have been able to do years back, but, I still feel I am not fulfilled because there is still a lot that I can do and that I hope to do by the grace of God.

    “At 80, I have learnt in life that whatever we are destined to be, we will be; it may take time, it may be longer than we think but whatever happens we will get there if we are steadfast, prayerful and put our trust in God”.

    The celebrator’s first daughter, Mrs Abidemi Williams, a business woman described her father as a good man.

    His son and Personal Assistant to Lagos State deputy governor, Akinola Williams, described his father as his good friend because he listens and understands situations.

    “Daddy taught us to pray five times daily to be a good Muslim and to be responsible Lagosians,” he said.

    Senator Muniru Muse thanked God for the celebration, saying the celebrator is a man that should be emulated in all the good things of life. He said the celebrator does not look 80 physically.

    Chief Musiliu Anibaba, former president of Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria, (ICAN), described the celebrator as a successful chartered accountant, who runs one of the most successful indigenous practices in Nigeria.

    Eko Club President Babatunde Grillo said the celebrator is a former president of the club, and one of its founding fathers, adding that he has done so much for the club. “We are happy for him and we thank God for making today possible and for giving him the opportunity to celebrate 80 years,” he said.

    He told the celebrator to devote his life to Allah because he is fulfilled.

    Former Chairman, Surulere Local Government Wazee Uthman described the celebrator as a nice man.

    is 80th birthday in Lagos, reports OLATUNDE ODEBIYI.

  • Medical education and frustrated young graduates

    Some years ago during the Obasanjo administration, he was told that there were no positions in hospitals particularly teaching hospitals for medical graduates to do the compulsory one year requirement as house men without which their training will not be complete. If their training is not complete, they will not be able to practice medicine and they will not be able to serve in the NYSC. The president gave an executive order expanding the training positions in teaching hospitals.

    Around this time also a delegation of The Historical Society of Nigeria intimated the president that History had been muscled out of primary and secondary schools curricula and that no country can develop without a point of reference in the past. Furthermore it was pointed out to him that some of the anti-social behaviour noticeable in our youth and adults is a manifestation of the disconnect between the leadership and the follower-ship and between the present and the past. He was told that without solid grounding and connection with the past the present will be disjointed and the future will be uncertain.

    The president was persuaded and he issued an executive order restoring the teaching of history to the appropriate levels in the educational ladder. Unfortunately the presidential executive order was obeyed in the breach! The ministry of education simply put one huddle or the other in its way of implementation.

    The issue that is very critical right now is that of young people completing five or six-year medical programme in a university and having no where to finish their education as house officers. I would never have known about the existence of this problem but for the fact that my colleagues have children graduating and frantically searching for non-existent places in hospitals. I have had to join friends in this frantic search sometimes successfully but failing abjectly some other times. When my daughter finished her medical programme abroad, she did not have her dad around to run around looking for friendly CMDs.

    This is a problem that needed not to have arisen in the first place if we plan seriously in this country. The Nigerian Medical and Dental Council must share in the blame. Whenever it gave approval for establishment of medical schools, it ought to impose quotas on each approved medical school. All medical schools ab initio should be required to indicate where graduates would spend the stipulated one year of housemanship after graduating. The hospitals need not all be teaching hospitals. All specialist hospitals and some good private and general hospitals should be encouraged and funded to take in house officers. There may be need for caution in all and sundry starting medical schools. If we are not careful mushrooming private universities may catch the virus of starting medical schools for profit.

    Now that we know we have this problem the president of our country should issue an executive order immediately and not tomorrow asking the various hospitals afore mentioned to get cracking and solve the problem. Definitely there will be need for special appropriation to be made through the National Assembly and Senate. This problem must be permanently rested and terminated.

    As a professor who knows the challenges facing young people, I cannot fold my hands simply because it is not really my problem. It is everybody’s problem. There will come  a time in this country when old people like me will be challenged by young people for messing up the country if we can not plan well for the future. As leaders, we have become very insensitive to problems of the youth. There seems to be a total disconnect between the people and the leadership. The same disconnect manifests in the way we run the NYSC. Suddenly young people are being fleeced by asking them to pay N5,000 to access the NYSC website to register or get their states of posting ! Yet these young people are giving free service for their country. The same insensitivity led to young people stampeding after paying N1,000 to a private company recruiting immigration officers. Some died in the process including pregnant women. The illegality of the whole thing became clear when the Controller- General of Immigration Department said he knew nothing about the so-called recruitment. A job for the public service commission was firmed out to a powerfully connected company leading to the death of young Nigerians. Up till today no one was held accountable and punished.

    Young people are posted and put in harms way in states where it is generally known there is no security. A few years ago, parents were called to receive the corpses of their children brutally murdered in Plateau and Bauchi states during break-down of law and order. One of the governors of the states had the temerity to say the murder of youth corps members was an act of God. Lord have mercy! If God were man, He would have struck down this erring governor with thunder!

    James Baldwin wrote a book in the 1960s entitled the FIRE NEXT TIME to demonstrate pent-up anger among the youth particularly the black youth if their problems were not addressed. His prophesy came true when young Blacks during the Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidency started rioting and burning down American cities. Johnson responded by passing a comprehensive Civil Rights Act and embarked on building what he called the Great Society. To his eternal glory, he laid the foundation of what has now been described as an American Century. We should not wait until we have the equivalent of an Arab Spring or a revolt by our youth before embarking on youth-friendly policies at all levels of governments in Nigeria. If we do not do something positive to help the young people of Nigeria, we may all be swept off in the violence and blind fury that are bound to accompany youth frustration, disenchantment, discouragement and disappointment with the status quo.

  • ‘The mall is a place to meet young people’

    ‘The mall is a place to meet young people’

    The popular Rythm and Blues (R&B) artiste, Tuface Idibia, has taken his ‘Vote Not Fight’ campaign to the Ikeja City Mall, Lagos.  He spoke with TONIA ‘DIYAN on the importance of the campaign. Excerpts:

    Tell us what brought you to Ikeja City Mall?

    Today is the last day of the Triple Trek Campaign tagged: ‘Vote Not Fight’, which I am headlining. Election no bi war! I want to talk to the youths to shun violence during elections. I am also marking the release of my Face to face Album. The album is 10 years old this year and Kennis Music will be releasing it. I have also done a compilation of some of my songs, which I will be releasing soon. I remixed them and uploaded the sounds.

    Why did you choose Ikeja City Mall for your campaign?

    So many people patronise the mall, particularly, young people. And if you want to pass a message across to people, who are young ,  a shopping mall as this, is one place you can do that successfully. Therefore, I have found Ikeja City Mall more conducive to pass my message. I have walked round the mall with my colleagues, it is a massive place.

    What do you think about the response?

    I think Nigerians really want peace. They want free and fair elections. People are tired of politicians using them to win elections and after they get into power, forget about them. The response here today is an indication that people, especially the youths, want peace.

    Are you looking forward to doing a song for the election?

    Yes, I might do a song. I’m not sure yet. I can’t say for now, but I’m looking forward to something.

    Aside the campaign, what do you think of the mall?

    The mall is a welcome development in Ikeja and its environs. It is big, massive and I like it.

    Do you go out to shop and how often?

    I go out to shop once in a while, its fun.

  • ‘ICT bridges digital divide between young, old’

    ‘ICT bridges digital divide between young, old’

    A new study from Ericsson ConsumerLab carried out in the United States (U.S.) has shown that seniors who use communications technology feel more enriched, informed, younger and more in touch with others and society. This is the first generation of seniors who are able to utilise a wider range of communication technology in older age.

    Commenting on the result, Senior Advisor, Consumer Insights at Ericsson ConsumerLab, Ann-Charlotte Kornblad, said: “They see it as a perfect tool, with its easy handling enabling them to have conversations with close friends and family. It also allows for the details and circumstances of life to be shared.” The results of the “Connecting the Senior Generation” report can be read in full here. Ericsson ConsumerLab conducted 30 interviews with seniors between the ages of 65 and 75 in the San Francisco area, with an additional eight in-home interviews also carried out.

    In a statement, those who have adopted the technology feel more enriched, informed, young, and in touch with others as well as what is happening in society. In short, they feel they have an improved quality of life.

  • Young at Art holiday workshop is 10

    Young at Art is 10. The holiday art workshop made its debut in 2004 as a yearly event for children and young adults between the ages of four and 19.

    Young At Art Children Creative Workshop  started on August 4, 2004 at Specifics Gallery in Ikeja, Lagos, with only three participants: two boys and a girl – the children of the founder Biodun Omolayo.

    According to the organiser, this year’s anniversary will hold in the  second week of next month because most of the people involved would have been back from summer vacation. “We do not want anyone connected with Young at Art to be left out,” it was said.

    Activities marking the anniversary include Special Creative Workshop for children from selected orphanages, homes and public schools in Lagos; presentation of photo book featuring its old and new members with all the activities from inception to date; presentation of special paper on the Role Of Children Creative Education In National Development; and anniversary dinner; awards for the initiative’s facilitators, class governors, parents, supporters, sponsors and the media.

    According to Omolayo, the art initiative has grown without losing focus of the original vision of developing the creative potential of the child for future benefits of the larger society along with engaging the best human and material resources to develop a happy creative well-motivated and culturally-sound child.

    The initiative has since added other events, such as May 27 Children Day and Free Art Workshops, especially for children from public schools, orphanages and the physically challenged. In addition, the initiative provides employment opportunities for undergraduates and graduates on permanent and part time.

    Its quarterly publications Young at Art Express is distributed free to schools, colleges, organisation and missions across Nigeria.

    The initiative, an institution operating through Biodun Omolayo Art Gallery is also consultant to the British Council Lagos  It has facilitated a one week art workshops Young at Art 100 for teachers of junior and senior secondary schools sponsored by the British Council, to celebrate Nigerian centenary. “We are looking forward to having workshops in Mathematics in other to assist those children who are weak in the subject, since some of the parents complain that a lot of the children who love art seem not  good enough in Mathematics,” Omolayo discloses the future pals of the workshop.

    Part of its plan is to have our own permanent facility where the children can camp during the workshop. This will be referred to as Young at Art Village.

  • ‘Young people should be creative’

    ‘Young people should be creative’

    Onoriode Odah Ovwurie is a publisher, singer, presenter and actress. While on campus, she developed a flair for the arts, entertainment and writing. This innate talent became a reality and she started organising shows and bringing in top artistes to perform for the students. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her passion, publishing and more.

    Do you find writing songs for yourself and others lucrative?

    I have my own live band called ”Urena live band” and we do almost all genre of music. We play at corporate events, wedding receptions, birthday parties, dinners, naming ceremonies and any social event. I am working on my album that is coming out very soon. I have been in the music industry for quite a while. Back in the days, I featured in the Sunny Neji’s remix video of ”Face me I face you” and also Face’s song titled “Face alone.” I featured in the video too. I was signed under November Records owned by Charles Novia, the movie director/ producer. Majek Fashek, the song guru, was also on that record label. You may want to ask that after all these years how come I don’t have an album out yet? During the time I was under the record label, the Nigerian music industry had not been this appreciated and the kind of songs I wrote then would not be appreciated because the industry had not matured to compete with their foreign counterparts and my songs sounded too foreign.

    I wrote the kind of songs Asa or Waje would sing today. In fact, most of the people who heard my songs actually thought I was a foreigner. I remember Asa also had the same problem when she first released her first album in Nigeria. Nobody even acknowledged her talent, not until she travelled out to release the same album abroad and then Nigerians began to appreciate her.

    In spite of the initial challenges, I continued to push myself and I used to perform in events like Nigerian Brewery opening ceremony of ”Star quest” and other big events. I also played with live bands in reputable places like Sheraton Hotel, Four point Hotel, Oriental Hotel, Weston Hotel, Slick Bar in VGC and many others. Currently, my band plays on Fridays at Ayo Bankole Centre on Yesufu Sanusi, off Adeniran Ogunsanya. Ayo Bankole Junior happens to be one of Nigeria’s best pianists. He is also a music instructor. So, you can see I am still fully into music professionally; music is in my bones.

    I am also a T.V presenter and I co-host a programme on N.T.A. 2 Channel 5. It’s a live programme called ‘Hanging out’, aired on Mondays between 1:30- 2:30.  I started my on-air personality career when I was in the university. As a student, I was an independent producer / presenter with N.T.A Ile-Ife in Osun State, which was the leading network then. The programme was an entertainment programme called ‘Glitz Entertainment’ and it was the only local entertainment programme allowed to air. I do act as well. I have taken part in a few soap operas and I am also an M.C at events. In short, I will classify myself as a full-time entertainer.

    Tell us about your life working in the entertainment industry

    I will say I enjoy what I do. I have always been involved one way or the other in entertainment from a very young age. So I am not surprised I ended up being a publisher amongst other line of my entertainment talents. The industry is so broad, there is room for everyone. You just have to define what area you want to specialise in and go for it. I spend my time singing with my band. I also host karaoke in D’ Chills Hind, aka Lounge 38, in Surulere, which is one of the classy and sophisticated lounges on the main land. So I will say I spend my time socialising and doing my other businesses.

    How would you describe the efforts put in by government in the empowerment of women in Nigeria?

    I will say it is better off than before. In the past, women were not given a voice, but now things are changing for the better, although we still live in a society where double standard is the order of the day. If I remember vividly, it was the era of President Babangida that his late wife, Maryam, made it mandatory that women should be in every government parastatal and since then it has been that way. I believe the government can do better and give women more credit like it’s done in the developed countries. It’s rather unfortunate that the system we operate on does not support women fully.

    If you had to compare what you are doing with colleagues in the other parts of the world, what would you say?

    Truth be told, there shouldn’t be comparison because our system and structure here are very poor. There are lots of loop holes in our social structures and net works. Corruption is the order of the day. A lot of things are not done rightly. And there are people who occupy certain positions who have no business being there in the first place. My other colleagues in some parts of the world have it easier for them because of the system laid down for them over the years. Things are working well because virtually everything is made readily available for them to work with. They have easy access to funds and other things or material they need to help them grow their businesses in as much as it is beneficial to the society and will also bring about employment to people in that field. They have government backings in almost everything. Their governments are fully involved with their businesses and encourage them to the fullest. In Nigeria, everything is stressful; from starting up the business to growing the business and allowing the business to stand and survive on its own. It’s always a struggle to get things accomplished in Nigeria. It only takes the grace of God to survive the Nigerian factors that we are all faced with. Getting loans from banks sometimes is like passing a camel through the eye of the proverbial needle. So, tell me, with the high rate of unemployment and graduates just laying about waiting for one job opportunity to come their way, how will we grow?

    What are some of the changes that you would like to see in the next ten years?

    I would like to see a corrupt-free Nigeria; a country where the right people will assume government positions. Here, we would have leadership who would rule the masses with sincerity and have our interest at heart. I will like to see true democracy practiced, where young leaders are raised to be honest and selfless citizens. I will also like to see better changes in our health, education and housing sectors and put a stop to these security insurgencies we are facing today. We are all brothers and sisters, whether we like it or not. It is really sad our Chibok girls have not been found totally. I sympathise with all the girls and their parents. Most importantly, I would like to see changes in our orientation. Our mind set has to be changed. Today, nobody wants to work hard to achieve result. Everybody wants to cut corners and perform magic and get results over night. Things are not done that way. I tell you hard work pays better. You will be more fulfilled as an individual or organisation when you know you worked hard to get to the top than bribing your way through to the top which most people do these days. They want to reap where they did not sow.

    What are the other things that you are passionate about?

    I am also the Editor -in-Chief of Noww Magazine. Noww Magazine is a lifestyle magazine designed for both adults and teenagers with contents that are informative, educative and entertaining; something that can also be classified as a family bouquet. The focus of the magazine is to bring to the doorsteps of families in Nigeria a high quality, stylish and classy magazine that intends to inform the readers of the current trends in every sphere of life.

    Over the two years that we have been operating, for a new publication, I will say it has been a great experience for us because people appreciate and accept the magazine because of its uniqueness and high quality standard. For every new publisher, the fear is how the acceptance of the magazine will be like because of the fast-rising internet users. Truth be told, Nigerians do not have the reading culture, but I tell you times have changed. We do have people out there who still appreciate good reading materials when they can lay their hands on one. Noww is owned by me, and my business partner is Barrister Chike Onwuka.

    What are some of the challenges encountered?

    Going into publishing is not a child’s play. It’s very capital intensive. You can imagine putting in a lot of money into a business and getting poor response from the public or better still not making sales at all. So, you have to get it right. One major challenge is circulation of the publication. Your circulation net work has to be very efficient or else your publication will not go very far. There is nothing as fulfilling for any publisher like seeing your publication being sampled and sold on the streets, with the vendors, the newsstands, super markets, book shops. That is the joy of any publisher. Your publication can not sustain itself by sales alone, so you will need a lot of advert slots to back up the sales and these don’t come easy. One major problem we face is electricity because it adds to the overall cost of production which you all know doesn’t come cheap.

    How do you cope with some of these challenges?

    We try to do a lot of research to come up with ways to handle the challenges. We are also doing our best to work with competent people who are the key players in the sector and also come up with strategies to help boost the success of the magazine.

    Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

    God is my greatest influence.

  • Award for young author

    Award for young author

    Ebonyi State Governor Martin Nwancho Elechi, in his inaugural address in 2007, declared that one of the cardinal measures of ensuring material and human development of his people would be entrenchment of attitudinal change.

    He explained that change of behaviour would need to be effected by all strata of the society, including the civil service, the private and public sectors.

    While being sworn in for a second term in office and during the 2011 Democracy Day held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium on May 29, 2011, Elechi said: “Let us also work assiduously towards the enthronement of a disciplined society where work ethics, especially dedication to duty, becomes our known attribute. Attitudinal change is not just time consciousness and punctuality, it calls for self-remoulding and self-orientation to catch up with the best global practices envisaged in our Millennium Development Goal Number 8.”

    To guarantee the actualisation of the attitudinal change policy, the governor had established the Office of the Directorate of Attitudinal Change with Mr. Ken Uhuo as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Attitudinal Change.

    The Directorate has sustained collaborative relationship with the State Ministry of Information and State Orientation in key areas of information dissemination and

    re-orientation of the Ebonyi people in various spheres even in the remote areas of the state.

    The Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Chief Emmanuel Chike Onwe has provided a platform for the appreciable collaborations.

    Invisible as the success or failure of the policy of change is, various people have scored the policy either high or low.

    While some people say the success is half measure, some others see it as a policy thrust that has positively impacted on the affairs of the state in its material and human development efforts, especially in the area of crime reduction in the area.

    To encourage whatever the governor might have perceived to be the success stories of that policy, he recently set up an Executive Council Standing Committee on State Honours Award.

    To underscore how much the award means to the governor, the Deputy Governor, David Umahi was appointed to lead the assessment team while the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Fidelis Mbam serves as secretary of the committee.

    Others in the team were the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Ben Igwenyi, Chief Chike Onwe, Mr. Ken Uhuo; the Personal Assistant to the Governor on Higher Education, Prof. Mike Otuma Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor, Mr. Chinyere Aloke and the Personal Assistant to the Governor on

    Special Duties, Mrs. Augustina Nwaiboko.

    While setting up the committee, Governor Elechi had his strokes on attitudinal change stating that, “in spite of the national aspirations for accelerated development, a climate of unbridled materialism has accentuated the virtual collapse of the core values, accounting for the country’s stunted growth.

    “Under the prevailing situation, it does not take a prophet or a rocket scientist to apprehend the trajectory of ethical rebirth to nation-building.

    “As a philosophy of governance and a model for social relations, the doctrine of attitudinal change rests on an integrated tripod: advocacy, sanction and reward.

    “Advocacy underpins public enlightenment on citizenship rights and obligations; sanction involves the application and enforcement of extant provisions against breaches of acceptable conduct; while reward involves the reinforcement of excellence and diligence, through special benefits, awards or recognitions to deserving persons and institutions.”

    Continuing, he said: “I am not under any illusion that there are many people who will find change either too difficult or even impossible. To such people, the promise I make is that, while we shall always strive to lead by the force of personal example, neither the recourse to expediency nor the threat of blackmail shall deter us from applying the sanctions that go with crooked actions.

    “At the same time, we shall not fail to give special rewards to those who make uncommon contributions to the growth of the commonwealth through hard work, honesty and discipline. To this end, we shall introduce awards and prizes for honesty, discipline, high productivity and environmental cleanliness.”

    That was Elechi’s eloquent mandate for the Executive Standing Committee on State Honours Awards. The committee set out to do the selection from among three million Ebonyi people and residents and on Thursday, May 29, 2014 made public their findings at a splendid ceremony at the Governor’s Lodge, Government House Abakaliki.

    That day, 103 recipient of the award comprising individuals and institutions were decorated by the governor and were given various prizes. Some of them went home with N500, 000 while others got N50, 000.

    The high flying recipients included Princess Mary Adaeze Ekuma (MON), currently, the Chief Instructor, Catering Services, Government House, Abakaliki. Her award is for dedication and diligence in service delivery, Comrade Chinedu Ogah (OON), 38-year-old youth leader of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was given an award for responsible youth organisation and leadership.

    Dr. Ngozi Obichukwu, Focal Person, Ebonyi State Millennium Development Goals/Conditional Grants Scheme received the award for outstanding performance in public service delivery.

    Three organisations, Ebonyi Youth Assembly, Mater Misericodae Hospital, Abakaliki; Rural Improvement Mission Hospital (Presbyterian Church) Hospital Ikwo were given awards for excellence.

    This year’s Attitudinal Change Policy Awards by Ebonyi State Government threw up many youths award recipients.

    But one person whose award was most celebrated is Obinna Udenwe, a rising literary giant and author of two books which have received international acclaim.

    He was honoured for his literary creativity having authored a book, Dancing Bird which has received wide acclaim globally and in the social media.

    When the writer started writing in 2005, little did he know that he has begun a journey that will bring him such recognition and afford him the opportunity to dine and wine with top echelons of the society.

    Presenting him with the award, Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi noted that “Obinna Udenwe’s impressively meticulous documentation of his literary achievements places him ahead of his contemporaries. His enduring popularity has been ensured by the breath and perceptiveness of his work, both locally and internationally.

    “With effervescent and bubbling initiative, Obinna Udenwe, at the sacrifice of the rest, (apart from the mental strain), has furnished the world with much to remember through a melange of literary works, with the marvellous capacity of audience manipulation.

    “With his uncommon intellectual graciosity, he explores in rich vocabulary and cold-blooded details, African values in his anthologies, and in so doing, has etched Ebonyi State on world map. Obinna Udenwe’s pan-African bent and youth capacity-building initiatives find expression in entrepreneurship development, leadership and governance skills.

    “The social media is awash with his works which dwell extensively on global challenges and Africa’s economic and socio-cultural development. Obinna has travelled extensively for symposia, workshops and conferences, during which he interfaced with notable literary icons.

    “He has been on delegations, sometimes representing Nigeria and West Africa, to the United Nations during which he interacted with world leaders one on one.”

    His new book Satans and Shaitans slated for publication in London is expected to be on the shelf in September this year.

    Apart from the individual award, Udenwe’s foundation, Ugreen Foundation also got another award for its human capacity development programmes. He is currently a nominee of the African Literary Icon project for using Ugreen platform to transform and build the African literary tradition”, the governor added.

    “Through his organisation, Obinna Udenwe has encouraged the development of young and budding writers; to give vent to their creative talents. Ugreen Foundation organises talk shops in which young Ebonyians are encouraged to proffer solutions on how to move the state forward,”, Elechi stated.

    The recipient expressed surprise at the honour bestowed on him and his organisation by the state government.

    “I feel honoured because it shows that whatever you are doing, even if you are doing it in your room, you will be noticed and rewarded in due course. I started writing in 2005, and I never knew that a day like this will come when I will be rewarded by the state government.

    “We were also surprised that my organisation received an award for promoting literature in the state. Ugreen Foundation promotes knowledge building and is also interested in getting the young people to be interested in democracy and leadership.

    “I started Ugreen Foundation in 2008 and since then, we have continued to partner with other young people to ensure that young people are trained in leadership in order to ensure that they get to know what democracy is all about and also in knowledge building.

    “We have the creativity class where we bring in budding writers and train them on writing and oratory. We didn’t know that the state government was monitoring all that and felt that we should receive a pat at the back.”

    He noted that he went into promotion of literature and writing because of the poor reading culture among the youth of the country today.

  • LBS woos young scholars

    Some of the nation’s brightest minds will hone their research skills and gain first-hand exposure to academic life at the forthcoming Lagos Business School (LBS) Young Talents Programme.

    The one-day programmes scheduled for August 1, is aimed at building a relationship with students and young graduates. It will also offer successful candidates research scholarship opportunities and build a network of future LBS faculty.

    The LBS Young Talents Programme is open to second-year undergraduates and above, including M.Sc holders and corps members (not older than 30) with first-class or second-class-upper honours degrees.

    They will be exposed to the LBS culture, history and inspiration.  They will also learn about career channels in management, research and teaching, including the day-to-day activities of faculty, researchers and administrative staff.

    “The programme will bring talented people in contact with a world-class institution where they will learn what it takes to begin an academic career,” explained Dr Uchenna Uzo, faculty lead on the programme.

    “It is also an institutionalised way of getting good talent who can become faculty or administrative staff now and in the future,” he said.

    As with other LBS activities, the relationship with participants will be maintained after the event so the benefits they derive will be sustained.

    Dr Franca Ovadje, member of the faculty team, said Young Talents Programme could not have come at a better time.

    “LBS strives to be a world-class business school with a significant impact on the African environment. The Young Talents Programme (YTP) aims to develop strong academics who will transform society through their knowledge and research. YTP will prepare participants for an academic career in business management,” she said.

  • How we made it, by young entrepreneurs

    How we made it, by young entrepreneurs

    At a seminar in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, young entreprenuers revealed the secrets of their success. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    When Aniekan James Ekah,  Chief Executive,  Wetinhappen.com.ng, uploaded his first  material to  his blog  in 2009, he never have imagined what would follow. Today, the blog has many  followers in Akwa Ibom  State and beyond.

    His blog compete with traditional media, offering a range in tone and coverage. Ekah is one in a new breed of entrepreneurs – and along with fellow  bloggers, online shop owners, and app developers, he is proving that the internet is big business.

    He is considered one of the nation’s most promising entrepreneurs, thanks to his  online  presence that has tapped high demand for Nigerian movies.

    He addressed  the Afterschool Peer Mentoring Project, “Prep2Grad Symposium”, held in Calabar ,the Cross River State capital.

    The event , which held at the CES Auditorium, University of Calabar, was attended by many students.

    The symposium sought to inspire and equip young people, engaging them to plan for life after their graduation.

    The  event provided a spring board for young Nigerians who are about graduating from secondary schools and universities to learn from their peers who have accomplished it in their chosen fields.

    Ekah knew he was going to do his  own thing, because even when he  was working, he had an  ambition.

    “Every great brand begins with an idea; that  is how I began my blog; seven years down the line, I am happy I made that decision, because it did pay off in all ramifications,”he said.

    Even with the proliferation of ‘How to make your blog pay’ stories, social media platforms, and clever online marketing and web analytics tools, creating a profitable blog is no meaan feat.

    The blog represents a substantial part  of his income (his other money comes from books as well as magazine, online and corporate writing,) but his  blog has created more career opportunities for him. Other journalists often call him due to his expertise in  reporting  events in Akwa Ibom State.

    The blog has become Ekah’s brand, a chance to expose him and his writing to a global audience. And it’s not just Ekah  alone, other online entrepreneurs are also using the online world to promote their brand.

    Reaching this  level of success has not been easy for him. The strategy he uses is to get a  good grasp of what his audience likes. That has helped him to build  a solid readership  base which is vital to any successful blogger.

    According to him, trust is the foundation of his business. From day one he believed he had established trust among his readers.

    He encouraged the youth to be prepared to take a risk, learning   how to have confidence, faith in themselves, and a willingness to jump in entrepreneurship.

    As an information technology entrepreneur, he has been involved in numerous IT-related projects  and has been an outstanding youth personality in the state.

    He is the brain behind the Usem Akwa Ibom Project on Facebook-an online project that creates awareness on the use of Akwa Ibom languages on the Internet which is celebrated yearly to commemorate the State’s creation anniversary every year.

    By dint of hardwork, he was selected to represent Akwa Ibom at the 2008 Nigeria Youth Stakeholders Forum in Nigeria.

    Another speaker was  the Chief Executive, Laffhouse Entertainment, Awade Friday, one of the few young leaders in Cross River  State who are doing well in entertainment blogging.

    He said: “If you are in search of  a job and you are not willing to  work for free, you need to rethink your strategies; my popularity and value grew from doing free shows”.

    Chief Executive, Lizzy’s Beauty Touch, Cross River State, Lizzy Ekpenyong, said :  “Passion is a great separator; where others follow and fail, your passion will keep you through the storms; before you set out on your career journey, find your passion first”.

    Chief Executive,UK Sally Resources, Cross River State, Ukemeobong Silas: “I have engaged in a lot of craft works in the creative industry; the most outstanding is my woolworks; even when it was less fashionable for a young  person, I persevered.”

    Executive Director, Kids and Teens Resource Centre, Ekiti State, Mary Falana said :”I found my feet during my National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) days that I was passionate about working with young people. I stayed on the path and at the moment, we run one of the best safe spaces for teens and kids in the South western Nigeria.

    Executive Director, Brave Heart Initiative, Edo State, Priscila Usiobaifo, said: “Beyond finding your passion, you need to have a plan, share that plan with your significant others, probably a mentor and seek guidance; implement and review; you will be glad you did.”