Youthville

YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #135

Friday, June 16, 2017

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...young at heart

Obiano tasks NYSC members on patriotism

‘Recession has inflated our pricing; we are perceived to be too expensive’

From Emma Elekwa, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has enjoined corps members deployed to the state to accept the national service with every sense of seriousness and patriotism.

Obiano made the call during the closing ceremony of orientation course of the Batch A Stream 1 corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp Umunya, Anambra State.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Entrepreneurship and Sports Development, Mr. Linus Nwankwo, the governor encouraged the corps members to approach the rural populace with open mind and to be ready to complement

Laylah Mai Ali is an interior designer and furniture maker. Her business, ‘Superb L&N Interiors and Exterior Décor Ltd, started eight years ago as a hobby, and today she has empowered 40 others in it.

By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola

W

hat do you do at Superb L&N Interiors and Exterior Décor Ltd? It is a specialist interior design/décor. The company started in 2008 to be precise.

Right from my childhood/ adolescence days I have always had love for design and colours.

Even while I was in the university I wanted owning my business and being self-reliant. And so my undergraduate studies, my love for interior design drove me to go study it professionally and I became certified to practice.

What does it take to be a professional in your field?

To become a professional interior designer, you must first have love and passion for the profession that is beyond the benefit, this will become your driving force.

You will have to then train your eyes to pick upon details, being able to tell what fits what space and what doesn’t on the spot. Then go ahead and study it professionally, get certified or a degree. Practice a lot even if it doesn’t pay for starters.

What was your starting capital/ turn-over?

I started the company with only 250,000.00. Off course the Job of interior design is lucrative and the turn-over actually very good. I can say this now because I stayed through thick and thin, initially it wasn’t.

How do you attract customers?

I attract customers to my business by taking my time to define my niche and target market because I need to know and make my products unique.

I stopped trying to sell products and services, instead I focused on offering solutions and benefits that my products and services provide. I built relationships based on trust with my target market, which took time and patience.

What challenges do you face in running your business?

Being able to meet up to all the varying needs of clients as they are insatiable, however, so far all challenges however they come only position us to improve.

Some peculiar challenges

include, balancing trends with timeless style, sourcing for quality materials to create quality products, and matching our design style to the client’s needs. Also recession has contributed to our challenges.

How many staff do you have working for you?

We are currently hiring a lot of people both contract and permanent staffs. In total we have 40 staffs all together.

What advice do you have for youths, out there?

Well it’s simple, to all unemployed or Job seeking youth out there, I will advice that in the course of searching for a Job find something you love doing, educate yourself in it, create a business out of it, offer this product or service consistently and be relentless. Life and business has thought me to be patient, consistent and never to stop learning.

Benue: NGO holds ‘A book for change’ campaign today

By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria Education for Change Initiative said it will hold its annual “A book for change” campaign which seeks to tackle illiteracy today.

The organiser of the event, Nelson Apochi Owoicho Apochi, said that the event was organised to coincide with the 2017 commemoration of the day of African Child.

Nelson said Education for change initiative had partnered with Action Aid, Plan International, schools, other NGOs and stakeholders who were working actively to lift young people out of poverty through the power of literacy.

He explained that the organisation had chosen to celebrate the day of the African Child 2017 side by side with its ‘Book for Change campaign

which seeks to raise awareness for the importance of rural education and to receive book donations to set up rural libraries across the state.

“This year, book donations received will support the setting up of a library in Chile community: an island across the River Benue. This Library will deliver learning materials directly into the hands of teachers and students who have been deprived of learning for at least two years,” he said.

Nelson said, “this is our opportunity to create a conducive l e a r n i n g environment for these children

Audacity is of all qualities the most youthful PICTURE – Ellen Glasgow

who otherwise would be deprived of access to learning.”

The event will begin with the stakeholders’ forum by 9am followed with a charity concert by 5PM to be held in Markurdi, Benue state.

“Entrance is at least a book donation-new or fairly used-.

All books donated will be used to set up a library in Chile Island Community,” Nelson reiterated.

their efforts with different skills and talents.

“You have to be free with your host communities so you can leave an incredible and enduring mark in their hearts long after you have left your service year,” he said.

The state Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Olawale, congratulated the corps members for a successful completion of the orientation exercise, noting that they exhibited high sense of responsibility, resilience and perseverance throughout the duration of the course.

One of the corps members, Yakubu Theophilus, said he gained a lot of experience in the camp, promising to utilise them to touch lives positively.

Toastmasters International inaugurates clubs in Abuja

By Chidimma C. Okeke A non-governmental organisation, Toastmasters International, has inaugurated four new clubs in Abuja to expand its reach in building communication and leadership skills of members.

Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Public Relations Manager of District 94, Florence Olumodimu, said the group through its ‘Project Nigeria Programme’ seeks to make Nigerians know about Toastmasters and increase their memberships.

Toastmasters International, which started in Nigeria 12 years back, seeks to help people to improve their communication and leadership skills, ignite their career and develop critical thinking to make them better.

She said through their youth leadership programme, leadership and communication skills are taken to secondary schools and universities through their community training to help them develop as good leaders.

On benefit of being a Toastmasters, the District Director, Ganiatou Sambaou, said, “Being a Toastmasters helps you become a better version of yourself; you will be able to talk to an audience, give speeches and make presentations.”

For the Division Director, Titi Ojo, “being a member has helped me to build my confidence because I could be very timid before but toastmasters have open me to the world and I have had to speak in Nigeria and abroad on toastmaster’s platform.”

Young women urged to create impact From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos Hundreds of young women have participated at the Dare2Inspire lecture organised in Lagos by the Date2Inspire initiative, a project to empower young women.

Various speakers selected from the private sector spoke on the need for young women to strive to create impact in the society.

The speakers included the Medical Director/ Psychiatrist -In- Chief of Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Maymunah Kadiri-Yusuf, Dr. Fateemah Habeebu Adeyemi, Mr. Feyisola Surat Abiru and Mrs. Bimpe Silifat Afolabi.

Dr. Kadiri who is also an entrepreneur and YOUWIN awardee stressed the need for young women to position

themselves to emerging opportunities in their areas.

She recalled how as a young medical student decided to specialise in mental health because she saw the emerging opportunities in mental health, saying, “That is positioning. I said to myself mental health is the medicine for the past, the present and the future”.

She urged the participants drawn from some institutions of learning to “create impact.

Once you create impact and people know you for something, they will know you are good and they will look for you”.

Also, Afolabi, a Director with KPMG encouraged the young women to be passionate, strive to acquire knowledge and be experts in what they do.

DAILY TRUST, Friday, June 16, 2017

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Youth Council, mall partner on graduates’ employment

By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has signed a pact with Dubli Shopping Mall to create employment opportunities for unemployed graduates.

President of the Council, Malam Murtala Garba, during the ceremony in Abuja last Tuesday, said the partnership would provide employment opportunities to unemployed graduates in the country.

He said NYCN would continue to work with relevant government and private agencies to compliment the efforts of government in addressing youth idleness.

Garba, therefore, urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of the opportunity, adding that it would enhance their income and improve their living condition.

The Country Representative of Dubli Mall, Mr. Lucas Baror, said the mall was pleased to partner with the Nigerian youths, considering the large number of youths who were internet users.

“Dubli Shopping Mall provides customers unparalleled services different from the stores they already shop and you can browse thousands of stores from around the world and shop all your favourite brands with ease,” Baror said.

Embrace entrepreneurship, graduands told From Nurudeen Oyewole, Lagos The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has called on graduands of Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, to start exploring entrepreneurial opportunities having completed their studies at the institution.

Amosun, who spoke at the varsity’s 15th graduation ceremony, said with the realities in the global job market in recent years, it has become incumbent on the graduands to put both their certificates and entrepreneurial skills to use.

“I will like to see you all to be job creators and employers of labour.

But that will only be possible when you put your certificates and entrepreneurial skills you learnt while in school to use,” Governor Amosun said.

Similarly, the varsity’s President/Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ademola Tayo, advised the graduating students to engage in community services, noting that every opportunity to serve should be embraced.

“Now after graduation, I will say this is the time for you to set aside your iPad, iPod and iPhone and engage in community services. With your education here, we have given you the impetus to think and the opportunity to serve,” the vice chancellor said.

Foundation opens for Dana crash victims 5yrs after

By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola A US based entrepreneur, Aisha Shehu Kaikai, has commenced a foundation and also created a documentary in honour and memory of the victims of 2012 Dana air crash.

Aisha, who is the Founder of Ishpicturesque, lost her elder sister along with 152 other passengers and the crew on board on that fateful day. She struggle since struggled to express her h emotions sh until she thought of th creating the

documentary.

“The documentary was a way I found to expressing the loss. I started an article about 5years ago after the crash and still cannot find myself to complete it. I am not much of a writer, I am more technical and for me writing expresses much more emotions and is more painful” she recounted.

“As a digital creative artist and a filmmaker, I found this as a better way to express the loss, since we were constantly being reminded by the way people consoled us for the loss” she added.

The young filmmaker said the video will call on people to be nice and always treat people with kind. “Life is short, so be kind and don’t take anyone for granted” she advised.

With the release of the documentary, Aisha also announced the commencement of ‘Ishfoundation’, where she noted that she has reached out to a couple of charity for anyone who wants to give donation in honour of the deceased.

YOUTHVILLE

Would you keep a low hair cut?

By Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe

W

hen it comes to fashion, hairstyles tend to change on a daily basis, especially among women. This is because as women, we want to be modern and beautiful. The hair is always known as the crown of a woman because it enhances her beauty and appearance.

Low hair cut is gaining popularity among us for various reasons. While some see it as the style, others say they feel better with it. This has led some young ladies to keep a low haircut. Some who spoke to YOUTHVILLE gave their reasons.

Ogechi Offor said she preferred to cut her hair because it made her look younger and fashionable.

“Besides, the hot weather condition forces some women to cut their hair. The heat is much now and I don’t think anybody can stand their hair touching them, she said.

Uche Glory (a hairstylist herself) likes it because “It’s fashionable, I love it and I enjoy wearing it, but it does not stop me from making other hairstyles because it’s not a skin cut”.

“I still weave my short hair, and then wear weavon caps. At other times, I blow dry the hair

and comb into an afro style and I still look good,” she said.

However, not everyone agrees with the idea of keeping a low cut. Pearl Ujo believes that part of a woman’s beauty is her hair. “I can’t keep a low cut for some reasons: it’s quite difficult to maintain, and also as a woman’s crown, it adds to her beauty and class.”

‘Absorb N-Power volunteers into public service’ From Eyo Charles, Calabar Top civil and public servants in Cross River State have appealed to the authorities to retain most or all of the N-Power volunteers sent to federal and state government offices in view of huge shortage of workers.

The advocates spoke at a programme organised by the State Focal Person, Amb. Nkoyo Toyo for the volunteers. They insisted that bringing beneficiaries would solve the problem of manpower shortages in government establishments

across the country.

A Supervisor of N-Agro volunteers in Bekwarra Local Government Area, Paul Adie Ogbeche, said before the 96 beneficiaries were sent to his office, there were no adequate hands in the sector as the state last employed people in the agriculture minister in 1993.

“If they are absorbed now that few of us are still in office, they will learn fast to garner necessary experience to take over from us perfectly.

About 85 percent of them posted to me are doing wonderfully well,” he stated.

Chief Ola Augustine Ogbudu, Director of Youths and Sports Development in the state Sports Commission, said “most of the volunteers are very experienced and are over-qualified to even be where they are now.”

A volunteer, Joachim Ugbong, said N-Power haddelivered him from the shame of abject poverty.

Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, the focal person, tasked volunteers not to be satisfied with the stipend of N30,000 which the Federal Government paid monthly, but to seek to learn skills.

Retirees urge youth to Chimamanda: How much space imbibe national values should social media occupy?

By Taiwo Adeniyi

By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria

A group of army retirees have called for strict observance of the national values as among remedies to salvaging the nation from several calls for secession especially among the youth.

The retirees under the auspices of Patriots Transformation Institute (PTI), said majority of citizens are none committal to the nation’s national values while moral values have been relegated into the background.

Its President, Major General John W.T. Gbor said the group has initiated a plan in which youth would be trained to being patriotic citizens though its patriots’ scout schemes.

“This will be done through deliberate training for the purpose of inculcating in the Nigerian youths, acceptable values of honesty, discipline, respect, patriotism, commitment, dedication and dignity of labour,” he said.

He said this would also provide the youth the desired sense of direction that guarantees national survival, national success, national transformation and the perpetuity of a united and peaceful Nigeria.

Author and activist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, during a commencement speech to the 2017 graduating class of Williams College in Massachusetts, United States, spoke on how much space social media should occupy.

“Put the damned phone down. Well, at least for a few hours a day. Read a book. Talk to other human beings. And when you do pick up the phone again, before you tweet or Snapchat or Instagram, call your parents. Or call an aunt. Or go outside and do something that you will not be photographing or videotaping for social media” The author of ‘Americana’ said was what she told her niece and nephews.

Chimamada, however, stated that the question was how much social media should matter, how much space social media should occupy in one’s life.

“I would suggest, too, that you be very clear about the artifice that social media is. And that you try and have real connections with actual people that you actually know. Too much social media is like eating too much of a moist, too-sweet, toorich, too-everything cake,” she explained.

Another thing: Despite my youthful appearance I’m quite capable of making decisions - Lara St John