The Lagos State Government is to partner an NGO, Hindsight Development Organisation, in the training of youths in programmes and skills that would propel their total development.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs Atinuke Odjenima disclosed this during an interactive session with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos saying youth development would be part of its activities in the forthcoming “2017 Nation Building Conference” in Lagos.
She said that the Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sport and Social Development would be collaborating with the NGO during the programme where youths would be trained on various vocational skills for self development and leadership.
She said that during the conference, resource persons would present papers on how the youths could do : bead-making, hat making, ICT-related skills and others.
She added that some corporate organizations and philanthropists had also indicated their interests to be part of the conference as part of their own philanthropic gestures and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“Our trainings are focused on the students in Primary and secondary schools, fresh graduates and Corps members, imbibing in them, leadership skills, sense of patriotism and civic responsibility,” she said.
She further said that the group was in partnership with the Lagos state ministry of youth, as a stakeholder in the development of youth policies for the state.
Odjenima also advocated collaboration among all sectors in training youths toward leadership positions in the country.
NAN reports that Odjenima, the convener of the 2017 conference, visited the agency in company with Messrs Olufemi Babalogbon and Sope Afolayan who are also members of the NGO’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
She said that those currently in leadership should start mentoring the youths on the essence and prospects of good leadership.
“The youths should be properly oriented with the right mindset, values and attitude, so that they can build a sustainable family, community and nation,” she said.
She said that her NGO was running on a vision which would create a better society where love in leadership, positively nurtured mindsets, values and skills would be the order of the day.
She said that such orientations which could be achieved through holding of seminars, conferences and publications would orientate the young citizens on how to be better citizens in future.
Odjenima noted that there was need for good leaders to always exhibit love in their style of leadership, adding that it was wrong not to practice what was preached.
“We can’t be preaching and be orientating about love in leadership and yet, we are not showing it as an organization.
“Hindsight Development Organisation embarks on some social, community project whereby we show what love is in practical and also encourage leaders to lead by example.
” So when we are talking about leadership, we want to use this medium to encourage such people who have done well in any aspect of their lives by giving them an award of recognition,” she said.
According to her, we need to orient our children on the essence of good leadership which is why we created clubs in primary schools, to catch them young.
“The foundation is focusing its attention on children and youths to ensure they attain greatness.
“So we need to catch them young and that is why we are having leadership clubs in primary and secondary schools where we think we can best achieve this objective.
She added that young people needed to understand community development, respect their elders and the authority and focus more on entrepreneurship to reduce high level of unemployment and crime in the society.
Earlier, the Acting Head of Lagos office of NAN, Mr Idonije Obakhedo, in his welcome address, expressed gratitude to the group for choosing to partner with the agency.
“You have taken a good decision by choosing to promote issues on nation building from the youths point-of-view.’’
According to the Deputy Editor-in- Chief, we are most concerned by your choice of mobilising the youths toward good leadership skills for national development.
