YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #172
Friday, March 2, 2018
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youthville@dailytrust.com
...young at heart
How we started our departmental stores in Abuja, Owerri – Yusuf Tumi
Yusuf Abubakar Tumi is a 29-year-old graduate from the University of Newcastle in the UK and the General Manager, House of Freeda, a Nigerian departmental store. In this interview, he spoke of the unique mark the store is making in the Nigerian business sphere. By Hafsah Abubakar Matazu
H
ow did House of Freeda emerge? House of Freeda is a departmental store which was birthed from UL Clothing, a fashion brand. We’re aiming to be the Nigerian Harrods and John Lewis. A few years back it was a fashion house that retailed different brands and pushed the brands out so that they can be marketed. It’s been existing for 3 to 4 years with branches in Abuja and Owerri. What did it take you to start this store that has various brands under same roof? With the right idea and hard work, I think it just took the right set of hands to put it together. If you have a vision and you know what you want to achieve with a time frame, you just have to be consistent. So I’d say the recipe is hard work, consistency, team work and finances as well. What plans do you have for expansion? Presently, we have House of Freeda in Abuja and Owerri. But it depends on the number of young entrepreneurs that come to give us the zeal to expand further. So it all depends on the traffic we get. It’s just a matter of time. Are there international collaborations? Yes, there is. We have a retail store in Atlanta we’re working with closely to do brand placement. I would have mentioned the name but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. They buy in bulk from us so for your brand to reach that market, you need to be in stock with us which is why we’re
particular about working with only the most creative brands. They also deal with celebrities as well and with the African diaspora in the States. What’s the most rewarding part of all this? When you see little brands that came from next-to-nothing and now seeing them reach a height that they didn’t think possible, it’s rewarding. The most interesting part is also when people thank you for the opportunity. We harness creativity, watch that creativity grow and it later comes back to give us a tap on the back. Is this something you’ve always had a passion for? I started with Apparel Polo when I was schooling in Newcastle, UK. Growing up, we watched NTA before Spacetoon came and all that before we started watching football. So I went to w footballers school and saw driving flashy cars. With ed out to my idea, I reached d I gave a footballer and him my card and he called me. I met him se and I in his huge house ieve my could hardly believe e that he eyes. He told me liked my stuff and I’m reat and doing really great y style and that he likes my the way I dress. So he took ckets and all some shoes, jackets ed. These and I was amazed. hes to I supplied watches d I Chiek Tiote and er was his designer th until his death so last year. I also st did the first n fashion show in h Newcastle which
sold out and the support was overwhelming. I believe I was lucky. I made a lot of money and it motivated me to do my own thing since I was good at it. What’s your take on the Made -in-Nigeria campaign? The Made-in-Nigeria campaign is absolutely brilliant but I feel like it’s a bit lacking in terms of structure. Do we have what it takes for products made in Nigeria look premium outside Nigeria because that’s the aim. I’m in support of it all the way but to promote it, what I think needs to be done is to promote creative minds from all over the country. All I see are words circulated about the campaign on social media but nothing is actually being done about it. The manpower is also low, skill is low, the quality check is low which in turn makes products more expensive. Cost of production is high in Nigeria, lack of constant power supply, low labour are all contributing factors to why businesses here can’t thrive.
Rotary Club of Abuja inducts 300 peace ambassadors By Philip Shimnom Clement The Rotary Club of Abuja Metro has inducted about 300 youth various mainly students that across tertiary institutions in Abuja and environs as their Peace Ambassadors. The induction which was part of a workshop tagged “Positive peace workshop for students in tertiary institutions” was organized by the rotary club in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR). President of the club, Osi Imomoh identified youth as peace entrepreneurs and agents of nation building who have
been in the fore front of crisis resolution especially in the rural areas. “Although some youth in Nigeria have been used as agents of political mischief and violence, a larger percentage are becoming more conversant with the need to live in a peaceful and harmonious environment for smooth nation building,” he said Imomoh added that the Rotary foundation being the engine room of the club, have spent over $50 million on humanitarian acts and development training of which the peace and conflict workshop was part of. The Director, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution,
Prof. Oshita Oshita charged the newly inducted peace ambassadors to see the society as a place for peaceful coexistence. “Countries like Austria and France are governed by youth who have changed the narrative in governance, suggesting that youth can serve as veritable tools for nation building in Nigeria,” he added. One of the peace ambassadors, Joseph Bala said he was challenged and educated on the need to be of value to his society and the country at large and pledged to spread the gospel of peace and social co-existence in his institution and even beyond.
You will either step forward into growth or you will step back. - Abraham Maslow
Youth urged to grow their communities By Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad Youth have been called on to assist governments in developing their communities to ease the hardships of the people. A youth activist, Abdulhamid Dankyarko made this call recently in Gombe metropolis after he donated two boreholes to his community in Herwa-Gana Primary school and Jeka-Fari all in the metropolis. He said, “Though we are living outside Gombe State, our root is here. We have to do everything possible to empower and develop the area for the benefits of those behind us and for others to emulate the gesture. I call on the beneficiaries to handle the pump with utmost care.” Dankyarko said he spent N370,000 to construct each of the pumps, making a total of N740,000. He said the project will be benefit the masses particularly women and children who suffer most from the inadequate potable water facilities in various parts of the country.
UTME is a placement test, not achievement — official By Bamas Victoria @Bamas Victoria An official of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu has said the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is not an achievement test, but a placement test. Speaking during the education summit organized by BudgIT Nigeria in collaboration with MacArthur Foundation, he said that an achievement test like the O-levels requires a consistent form of continuous examinations not just for a day. Salisu added that a number of people don’t understand the role of JAMB consequently the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME) and the issue of cut-off marks. He said JAMB was established about 40 years ago by the then existing 13 universities to avoid admission crisscross hence “JAMB is more of a clearing house, a facilitator, and coordinator. It carries out admission processes in conjunction with institutions.” Speaking on the issue on why less than half of the candidates get admitted, Afolabi said “Some of the statistics bandied are not correct. Some candidates in SS2 write the exam to become familiar, before the unification; others obtained two forms for Direct Entry (DE) and UTME and is counted twice,” he explained. He added that some applied for the exam to be mercenaries. The Lead partner of BudgIT Nigeria, Oluseun Onigbinde said the education summit ensured a conversation on proper and adequate financing in the areas of public education in Nigeria and also to have contextual discussion around corruption which has to do with sex for marks and embezzlement of funds. Onigbinde added that there is a need for deep budget review so that conversation can shift from allocations to how it benefits the people. He added that the conversation will be moved forward by meeting with the education minister as well as writing a memo for the national assembly.