YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #132
Friday, May 26, 2017
08078068532
youthville@dailytrust.com
...young ...you ung a att h heart eart
The road to success is always under construction. – Lily Tomlin
90 Polio workers bag Rotary award By Simon E. Sunday @SimonEchewofun
Top funding sources for young start-ups in Nigeria By Simon E. Sunday @SimonEchewofun & Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola
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ne big problem many start-ups say they face is that of funding. The Daily Trust YOUTHVILLE has flagged some platforms of funding that are available for Nigerian entrepreneurs. We believe this will help young entrepreneurs who have their businesses duly registered to approach either of these financiers to boost their business capacities. A criterion demanded by many of these financiers is that applicants should have a bankable business plan. They must be able to identify a robust financial flow chart and their operational chart which will determine the input and output procedures for the business. The Bank of Industry fund The Bank of Industry (BoI) is one key agency that is helping to grow local businesses through its several platforms. Along with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), BoI has the Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF) for corps members.
Applicants submit their business plans which are then reviewed by experts and selected. Successful applicants are trained for four weeks and then given from N500,000 to N2 million to start up their businesses. The Cottage Agro Processing (CAP) Fund for small and medium processors of agriculture produce. The BoI also introduced the Nolly Fund for people in the Nollywood film industry. A successful tale of that is the film, ‘Three Musketeers’ released in 2016 whose funding was drawn from the platform. The Fashion Fund is for designers and fabric dealers in the fashion and style value chain. Tony Elumelu Fund Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has $100m for 10,000 African entrepreneurs available in seven to eight years. Its scope cuts across entrepreneurs in agriculture, fashion and design, light manufacturing, ICT, and solid minerals. It is a yearly funding plan that opens in January. This year, 1,000 entrepreneurs were shortlisted across Africa. Shell LiveWire The Shell Petroleum Development
Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) also has some funds for young entrepreneurs. Shell provides support, access to training, guidance, and business mentorship to young entrepreneurs and potential ones between ages 18 and 35. Although the programme’s scope is more in the Niger Delta region, people from other region can access it. SMEDAN Although the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) is not a funding agency, it is crucial for pruning business plans, grooming entrepreneurs and helping Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises (MSMEs) expand. The DirectorGeneral, Dr. Dikko Radda in a recent interview with the Daily Trust said, a potential entrepreneur can walk into SMEDAN’s business clinic in Abuja and have his business plan fine-tuned by professionals without charge. “This is what we do at SMEDAN. We have two offices dedicated for business clinic and it is meant for any entrepreneur in whatever area of operation,” he said.
How I learnt my hair care trade — Entrepreneur By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola Hair care is a vital source of employment for women, who make up a large slice of the informal economy in Nigeria, and Jenrola Anuoluwapo Ogunyemi is tapping into this. She started her wig business,’J2W’ (Jenrola Wigs and Weavons) over a year ago with the hope of making herself financially independent. Jenrola with an OND in computer engineering from Gateway Polytechnic, Abeokuta said she learnt how to make hair
from her mother as she grew up. “My mother’s trade was weaving, and so I learnt how to weave from her, but I learnt making wigs from the internet and using my knowledge of hair making to perfect it” she said. The young employer of one, who is based in Lagos said she started the business with N50,000 which was just enough to get her what she needed to take off. Jenrola noted that the business is lucrative, adding that it takes patience and perseverance to excel in whatever trade one
embarks on because every business comes with its own unique challenges. “For me making wigs is time consuming. But because I am eyeing the bigger prize, I must endure” she said. She complains of the health challenge of back ache caused by sitting for long to make wig hair. Hence she has a hand to help her with braiding. Jenrola said she uses social media to advertise her wigs to prospective customers, and more frequently flaunts her wigs at occasions and offices.
Ninety polio field-workers have been given the Rotary Award for their effort in combating polio in the six highrisks states in northern Nigeria. The nominees for the annual award are selected by the State Polio Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), local government area councils and the State Primary health Care Agencies with support from the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee (NNPPC) of Rotary International. Presenting the awards to the winners in Abuja, NNPPC Chairman, Dr Tunji Funsho said, “A total of 90 awardees are recognised for their courage and higher sense of duty in discharging polio eradication services in their respective states every year.” The six states are Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Borno. On the significance of the award ceremony, the Vice Chairman of NNPPC, Dr. Kareem Mustapha, said, “These awardees are drawn from all those locations and many of them are passionately working for Nigerian children. We want to motivate polio eradication workers wherever they are. We want them to know that all the partners are looking at them and their performance and we are there to encourage them until we cross the finish line.”
AHF joins call on increased funding for HIV, others By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria To win the fight against HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) joined other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to call on China to scale-up their contributions to the Global Fund. At a briefing in Abuja, AHF Africa’s spokesperson, Oluwakemi Gbadamosi said these diseases can only be addressed by collective efforts of nations as demonstrated at the 5th Replenishment where $12.9 billion was raised. She lamented that not all countries are contributing their fair share to the effort. Among the world top five largest economies, China which is in the second place pledged only $18 million to the Global Fund while UK the fifth largest economy and Japan the third largest pledged $171m and $800m. “Our request is simple, China should do the right thing by pledging $1bn to the Global Fund” Oluwakemi said. The Executive Secretary for Civil Society for HIV/AIDs in Nigeria (CISHAN), Walter Ugwuocha speaking on the National response on HIV/AIDs in Nigeria said that the country largely depends on international donors’ assistance to respond to HIV/AIDs issues. He said Nigeria has about 859,000 people living with HIV/AIDs on treatments and the US Government alone funds approximately 86 per cent of these numbers.
DAILY TRUST, Friday, May 26, 2017
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Artiste, Morell releases debut album, ‘Musa jikan Musa’
By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria Hip-hop artiste from the North, Musa Akilah also known as Morell, under his Nordan Ortty Music imprint has released his debut album, ‘Musa Jikan Musa’. The Hausa hiphop act released the artwork and track list for the album, comprising 13 tracks recorded in Abuja. The project boasts production credits from exciting new producers like Doubz,
YOUTHVILLE Why I dedicated my aircraft model to Buhari — Abubakar From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, Kaduna
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Dhecade, Brace, Danja and features Mavin Records Di’ja. Some of the songs in the album are Safay, By your side featuring Dija, Borno featuring AP, Mango. Some previously released songs off the album have received a lot of radio play and positive reviews from DJ’s and On-AirPersonalities. Morell came into limelight with his first three singles “Oxygen”, “Kosi Pressure” and “Antisocial” which featured Olamide.
Northern youth present award to VC of UniCal
young potential inventor, Abdulrahman Abubakar from Katsina state has said he has modelled a Boeing 747 aircraft which he dedicates to President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking with our correspondent while he showcased his craft along Ahmadu Bello way in Kaduna metropolis, Abubakar said the ‘Change’ mantra motivated him to build his aircraft model within 13 days using corn stalk. He said, “I constructed the plane in my village in Faskari local government of Katsina state. Someone saw it in my village and
NGO seeks more education for less-privileged children By Victoria Onehi The Pat Mgbo Initiative geared towards empowering orphans and the less-privileged in the society by giving them education and promoting best practices in nutrition has given goods worth thousands of naira to women in Galadimawa community of the FCT. During an outreach to the community recently, the initiator, Mrs Patience Okoro said the purpose of the outreach was to educate the women on nutritious ways to feed their children as well as the need to send their children to school. Okoro said the NGO which started in 2014 has enrolled 29 children into the LEA primary school in Dutse –Alhaji, Abuja. In addition to the enlightenment, the women were given food items and condiments to feed their families. One of the women, Margaret Danjume spoke about what she learnt. “I learnt a lot on how to cook vegetables today. They said it should be the last thing we put in the food because it will help to preserve the nutrients. Also, we were taught the six classes of food i.e. food that give carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals, fat and oil and water to the body.”
Abdulrahman, right with his friend Nafiu with the model plane.
Music contest debuts in Abuja as 7 schools reach for prizes By Simon Echewofun Sunday @SimonEchewofun An annual national music contest has debuted in Abuja to promote the culture of music across schools within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and from other states. The 1st Abuja National Music Competition (ANMC) held in Abuja last
By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola Some youth under the auspices of Northern Youth Initiative for Peace and Good-governance (NYIPG) have presented an award of Excellence as Garkuwan Matasan Arewan Nigeria to the Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, Professor ltiunbe Akpagu. President of the group, Umar Faruk Lawal while presenting the award told the gathering that the VC got the award for being proactive in responding to the plight of his students. He was said to be one of the friendliest VCs to northern students from the South-South. Lawal said, “We are presenting him with the award of excellence as Garkuwan Matasan Arewan Nigeria for being supportive to uplift northern education.”
brought me to Kaduna state under the pretence that he will make me rich using the plane. “When we got to Kaduna, I stayed with him in Unguwan Sarki, someone saw the plane and gave us N8,300, unfortunately, the man collected it and absconded with the money and since then I have been sleeping at Kawo motor park.” Abubakar has appealed to the authorities and illustrious Nigerians to help promote his dreams of becoming a great inventor. “Nigeria is a country full of talent, it is just that most of the talented people are from poor backgrounds and have no means to showing what they can do,” he said.
weekend had seven schools competing for prizes in three categories – Choral, mini orchestra and solo music. The Convener, Ms Nana Gbolahan said she was moved to start the contest when she found the culture of music was eroding in schools. “I realised that music seems to have left our schools. I found out that a lot of schools have struck out music of their curriculum. Some that have it just have it like a club, not into the academic framework,” she said. Gbolahan who is also the Director of Abba Music School in Abuja said the theme, # Ta k e t h e S t a g e was to encourage children to take over across all fields including in in
musical performances, academics and in the society. “Music is one of the forms of art that helps to develop the left side of your brain and helps to develop intelligence in your academy,” she explained. For the next edition, Gbolahan expects more turnouts with at least 20 participating schools. She urged parents and everyone to promote music at home and in school saying, “I urge us to promote music as a unifying factor in this nation with our diversifications. “It has no tribe or religion. It goes into your ears and straight into your heart, and anything that touches the heart definitely will touch human beings,” she said. The participating schools were Premiere Academy, Chrisland High School, Raberto School, American International School, Abuja (AISA), Intellichild, Goshen Montessori School, and Benford International School, all in Abuja.
Enterprise: Fidelity Bank empowers 400 students From Sunday Michael Ogwu, Lagos As part of its contribution to reduce youth unemployment, Fidelity Bank Plc in partnership with Gazelle Academy and the Federal Polytechnic, Oko Venture has trained 400 students in Anambra State. Organised under the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Academy stream 3, the week-long training on fashion and its accessories was to equip students with skills and capabilities needed to start businesses while in school. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Academy (YEA), the bank’s Managing Director, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo said
the initiative sought to empower the Polytechnic community by creating thriving business owners amongst students. “I therefore challenge you to go out there and make a success out of this and please remember that the right attitude and a strong will to succeed will take you far,” he said. Founder, Gazelle Academy, Muna Onuzo, said entrepreneurship remains the most viable solution to the current economic challenges. The Deputy Rector of the Polytechnic, Mrs Gladys Anene commended the bank and called on others to give back to the society through laudable youth empowerment programmes.
Bangles, wristwatches: which do you prefer? By Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe Bangles and wristwatches are some fashion accessories worn by most women because it ‘completes’ their looks. However while some wear both, some prefer one over the other. Some who spoke to YOUTHVILLE gave their reasons. Odee Sarah said she preferred wearing wristwatches to bangles. “I prefer wristwatches to bangles because it makes me more matured. And bangles make some
annoying sounds when you wear them,” she said. Another respondent, Sandra Oge admitted that wristwatches are the go-to accessories for her anytime, any day. She said, “Apart from helping me keep track of my time, my wrist watch is one of my best dressing accessory; I feel more matured wearing a wristwatch than bangle. To me, Bangles are for kids.” Violet I., a fashion personality in
Luck is for losers – Alaska Young
Abuja said, “Bangles form part of the Northern dressing. It is rare to see female in the North without a bangle.” For Chisom Uche, she would rather wear a bangle. She said wristwatches don’t seem to last long for her. “Each time I wear a new wrist-watch, it stops working afterwards. I have more than three that have stopped working, I decided to wear bangles instead,” she explained.