YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #193
Friday, July 27, 2018
08078068532
Youth Council elects new leadership
...young at heart
To achieve your heart desires, think BIG, start SMALL — Dambo
By Olayemi John-Mensah About 10 years after its last convention in Abuja, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has held another convention, where a new leadership emerged. The unity convention which lasted for six days in Gombe State, ended on Tuesday with the election of Comrade Bello Bala Shagari from Sokoto state as the National President. The congress had, during a business session prior to the election passed a resolution for the expulsion of the immediate past President, Comrade Murtala Muhammad and also barred him from being recognised as former President of the Council. Muhammad was alleged to have written to the Ministry of Sports and Youths Development, extending his tenure as caretaker committee chairman by four years, the position, the Minister, Barr. Solomon Dalung, the Board of Trustees were said to have frowned at. The congress also adopted the Board of Trustees (BoT) of NYCN under the leadership of Dr Dickson Akoh and its Advisory Council led by Hon. Ben Duntoye.
youthville@dailytrust.com
No matter what people tell you. Words and ideas can change the world. - Robins Williams
Richard Dambo from Kaduna state, is a graduate of the University of Abuja. He writes for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Teach programme and founded the Kaduna Inclusive Education Initiative seven months ago. In this interview, he spoke about the think-tank initiative that engages communities, enlightening them on why they should avail their wards for western education. By Simon Echewofun Sunday @SimonEchewofun
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hat’s the story behind this initiative? Sometimes last year, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, at the signing of a pact between the Forum and Fundacion Profuturo, (a Spanish organisation for the enhancement of education in the north) acknowledged that the growing number of out-of-school children in the north was alarming and an irony. Governor Shettima succinctly noted that while the north has about 41,913 public primary schools compared to 19,978 in the southern part of the country, the north can only boast of 34 per cent literacy rate compared to 67 per cent literacy rate in the southern part. This goes to show that, improving literacy level is much more than building classrooms. My movement is poised to alter negative narratives that inhibit education, especially for the peasant children in rural communities. As a young activist, what challenges do you encounter in driving this initiative? The problem with activism as a young person is that people think you’re too young to influence social change. You begin to hear things like “this small boy”. Some people will always try to deflate your ego, but in the end, my tenacity of purpose proved them wrong. What projects are you currently working on? I am working in partnership with Kaduna State Ministry of Education towards organizing the first edition of Kaduna Youth and Students Symposium by November 2018. What other activities are you engaged in? I watch football and always try writing about socio-political issues that are dear to my heart. Writing at my spare time culminated into a book I titled: ‘Politics of Free Basic Education’ tomorrow, July 28, 2018 at the Kaduna State to be launched laun University Auditorium. Alhaji Ja’afaru Ibrahim Sani, the Commissioner, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Science Commissi
and Technology wrote the foreword to it. At your Initiative, what is the strength of the members? We now have over 500 followers and still counting What are the expansion plans for this initiative? I am very passionate about anything pertaining to youth development. Having been a delegate at the Pan-African Youth Conference, and an official at Fixing Nigeria Youth Conference. I intend to replicate such in Kaduna; in three years from now, I want to be organizing the biggest youth gathering in Northern Nigeria. igeria. Is there a chance for youth to achieve their eir empowerment goals in the forum? Of course, rse, knowledge is power! My movement brings knowledge owledge and skills from m a global perspective.. With resource persons from rom local and international al bodies, we try to spur youth uth and students into political ical participation, SMEs and gender equity. What is your advice to youth, many of who o are still unemployed? The route e to achieving your heart desires is to o think BIG and start SMALL. The problem with most of us graduates ates is that we allow the exaggerated aggerated thought of having a degree get et into our ur heads.
‘Waiting for gov’t jobs, not in vogue’ By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola “It is not in vogue for youth to say they are waiting for government to provide jobs for them. Create one for yourself.” These were the creative words of Halima Mustapha, the CEO of Just Kimonos and Skirts. In a recent encounter with the Daily Trust YOUTHVILLE, Halima said, “I have never in my life dreamt of being a business woman. All I have wished for is working for a big IT firm which I am still hoping for but before that comes I need to sustain myself. “Surprisingly I am doing fine with the business and
everything is moving well,” she said. The Kwara state graduate of Computer Science from Federal University of Technology, Minna said her love for the fashion industry lured her in to the business. Halima started the business with just N10,000 after her National Youth Service Corps scheme. She just wanted to get busy with something before her dream job arrives and now she hopes to create a brand that sells affordable and stylish clothes for Muslim ladies. “The business is a very lucrative one. Everybody wants to look good and once they know they can trust you to give them quality they will always stick to your brand,” she said. The young entrepreneur said social media has been very instrumental in getting her
business to her target audience. “My target customers are everyday women who love to look good while fully covered and they are on that platform,” said Halima. However like most start-ups, she’s limited by funding hurdles. She said, “Because I started with a little amount, I couldn’t make the clothes in large quantity, which has been slowing the business. I have to have them ready for customers to indicate interest to patronize.” For other youth waiting for government jobs, Halima advised them to start something and be focused, dedicated, and consistent in that. “Youth should start something no matter how small it is, just start! You will be surprised how well it will grow with dedication and hard work,” Halima noted.
Skye Bank, SMEDAN partner on youth entrepreneurship By Victoria Onehi Skye Bank has donated 10 laptops to students representing Nigeria at the SAGE competition coming up in Durban, South Africa in two weeks’ time. In his presentation to the Director General, Small and
Medium scale Enterprises Development Association of Nigeria (SMEDAN),Dr Dikko Umar Radda at the agency headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the Group Head, Abuja and North Central, Skye Bank Plc, Hassan Umar said the bank was giving the computers to the outstanding
team that will emerge at the SAGE competition. Radda who was represented by the Director Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Wale Fasanya received the donations on behalf of the students. He said, “Currently we have students of secondary schools
who are representing Nigeria at a global competition, so this is part of Skye banks support so that when they come back, we will present it to them formally. “Skye bank has done well and we are looking forward to more partners so we can support more
schools in our National Schools Entrepreneurship programme,” he noted. The President, SAGE Nigeria, Agwu Amogu said it was a wakeup call for the private sector to support entrepreneurship education beyond having it at the government realm.