Educating and Empowering Our Youth

admin · Educating and Empowering Our Youth

Vision Trust Foundation - Vision for the Youth

http://allafrica.com/stories/200706280653.html

admin · Varsity Students to Benefit From Microcredit

Varsity Students to Benefit From Microcredit

This Day
4 Sept. 2007

Arrangements have been concluded by the Social Security Network, Multipurpose Cooperative Union Limited for undergraduate students of various universities in the country to benefit from the cooperative credit facilities initiated by the organisation.

The President, Dr. Frederick Fasheun, who spoke in Lagos during the presentation of cheques to 30 beneficiaries of the cooperative scheme, said the organisation has visited some universities in the country to introduce the scheme, with the aim of getting the students busy while on campus and during the semester break.

He said that the scheme will further reduce the rate of unemployment in the country after the students' graduation.

According to him: "We are standing up to help the youths in the universities. We found that students invite barbers from town to come and barb their hair, going by that, we've concluded that students can now barb their hair in-house (campus)".

He said "we are ready to give out loans to credible students to purchase their necessary tools and instruments to started up micro business and we have start doing that".

The aim of the organisation according to him was to improve the life of the average Nigerian and students. The bottom line of which was the banishment of hunger and frustration, promotion of peace and harmony, as well as encouragement of productivity and a saving culture.

"Not before in our country's history have we had this much activity in the microfinance industry. Funds were disbursed to one group in March, 3 in April, 10 in June and now 30", he said.

The total sum of N30m in cheques, was presented to 30 beneficiaries, they include: True love Cooperative and theft society, Favour sisters, Grace of God, Olarenwaju, Ileri Oluwa lo se II, Golden stars, Asejere, Asiko lowo, among others.

Fasheun said "with this measure of success, we can be excused for pontificating and propounding hypotheses about turning around the fortunes of Nigeria's micro enterprises".

Copyright © 2007 This Day

admin · French Now Compulsory in Caleb University

French Now Compulsory in Caleb University

The Punch
Segun Olugbile
5th Feb. 2008

The authorities of the Caleb University, Magodo, Lagos, have said that all its 272 pioneer students and the in-coming ones must undergo compulsory courses in French Language. The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Timothy Tayo, who said this at a press briefing on Monday, said the decision to make the language compulsory was taken to give products of the institution an advantage in the global job market. According to him, since the country is surrounded by French-speaking nations, it makes a lot of sense for the students to be taught the language.

He said, “If you look around the world today, one of the most popular languages besides English is French. Also, you should remember that the National Policy on Education has made French the country’s second official language. These and some other reasons informed this decision.” He said that qualified lecturers had been recruited to teach the students not just French but all the programmes on offer at the budding university. Tayo challenged the pioneer students to brace up for the challenges of academic rigour as the institution was determined to give them the best education that could be on offer elsewhere in the world.

The vice-chancellor, who was flanked by the Registrar, Prince Bola Taiwo, and the Dean, College of Social and management Sciences, Prof. J.F Akingbade, during the press conference also added that students of the institution must adhere strictly to rules. “Rules guiding students in this institution have been codified into the Students’ Handbook and this has been made available to all the students. They are expected to study it and abide by its provisions. Breach of these rules will be punished. So, they have been warned.”

Part of the provisions of the Stiudents’ Handbbook, Tayo said, was that students of the institution should dress formal to lectures and to official functions on campus. “Though Caleb is not a faith-based university, it is Christian oriented. Consequently, this university will not allow illicit relationship. Any student found loitering around the hostel of an opposite sex hostel will be punished,” he said. He added that examination fraud, cheating in whatever form, stealing and fighting would not be condoned in the university. “If you are caught cheating in any of our examination, you will be rusticated,” he said.

The university, he said, was designed to be ICT-driven. Tayo said that as a result of this, all the students and faculty members would be given a desk top or a lap top each. “For now, we have an e-library and Internet access for all our students. But for now, they can only access the Internet for 18 hours in a day,” he said.

Tayo expressed the hope that given some years, the university would have produced globally- competitive graduates that would contribute to the socio-political, economic and technological development of the nation. Akingbade, who corroborated the vice- chancellor, said that a world-standard curriculum had been designed for the entrepreneurial programme of the institution. The intention, Akingbade added, was to impart job creation skills to the students.

admin

Parable of Mustard Seed

Sun News
Emmanuel Ogoigbe
2nd April '08

At long last, reprieve came the way of jobless youths in Delta State as Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited rolled out employment opportunities to more than 250 of them.

However, for Pastor Glory Abrefera, president of the Mustard Seed Conglomerate, it is a tip of the iceberg as more job opportunities would be created in no distant future, just as the firm has mapped out strategies to spread its tentacles across the country and beyond the shores of the federartion.

He told Daily Sun, during the first get-together luncheon and award for the staff that hardwork will continue to be rewarded even as he foresees the grace of God on the firm.

According to him, the company which is less than two years old, has grown tremendously from Mustard Seed to Mustard Tree. He attributed the fortunes to God and the hardwork and dedication of workers.

Pastor Abrefera said that 2008 would further strengthen the workers and usher in good tidings for them. “We really appreaciate the resolve of the workers, who, like a colossus, mounted the plough and never looked back with the sole aim of forward ever, backward never.

The get-together is our own little way of saying thank you to those elegant workers, who did not allow their intimidating educational qualification to get into their heads and thus remain docile,” said Abrefera. He took time off to lecture the cream of eminent persons and workers who graced the occasion on how cooperative society started in Britain in the 18th century and Britons thought that such should serve as a self-employment purpose.

“Every concept start from a particular point, but cooperative society is now globalized to serve the international labour sector. No doubt, the Mustard Seed vision was packaged in line with that concept,” he remarked.

The president maintained that the company had a drive for the people, hence it opted for real investment. He recounted the fortunes the company made in less than two years after it was inaugurated. “If we muster our funds, it will grow like the mustard seed and we hope to grow higher if we also decide to garner whatever things we are doing,” stressed Pastor Abrefera.

He said that all hands must be on deck to wipe out tears of the difficulties encountered in starting any business. He said that if cooperative society could succeed in Britain, with all strength and vigour, it could also be a national scheme that would better the lot of Nigerians.

“In this wise, staff should study the scheme and see what we intend to achieve. If we establish 20 viable schemes, it will also encourages the people. The sky will be the limit,” he stressed.

He, however, reminded the workers that what they were doing was purely entrepreneurial scheme to assist the people, adding that if the cooperative society could achieve what had been garnered in its two years of existence, then it was a step in the right direction.

“If we run the scheme with the strength and vigour with which we started, the company could grow beyond the sub-region. With the advancement in technology, we can achieve better in years ahead,” he said.

admin · Gotni Leadership Summit

Communique of the June 13 and 14 2008, Gotni Leadership Summit at The Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja

Friday 13th and Saturday 14th June 2008 will remain historic landmarks in the socio-economic and political landscape of Nigeria’s odyssey to national greatness as five hundred (500) outstanding young men and women from across the six (6) geo-political zones of the world’s most populous Black nation converged on the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja to deliberate on national issues in order to set agenda for transformational leadership in Nigeria.

Arguably the first of its kind, the summit, tagged: “Leadership for Transformation: the Imperative Agenda” was hosted by Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI), a youth empowerment, faculty building and leadership skills building organisation.

In a welcome address titled, “Mobilising for Transformation: The Key Agenda for the Now,” President of GOTNI Mr. Linus Okorie noted that “We can never transform until we are transformed.” This, he said, is imperative in order to mobilize young people to sit and discover their talents and begin to grow in depth in their various areas with what he called “a blend of super attitude that will ignite the transformation we seek.”

Delivering a keynote address on the summit theme, chairman of the event, Mr. Gamaliel O. Onosode, OFR described GOTNI as Nigeria’s foremost youth leadership initiative and went ahead noting that “in the midst of abundant human and natural resources, Nigeria’s tale of hunger and penury can be attributed to a lack of visionary leaders who are intellectually and morally equipped to deliver service to the people.” He then stressed that the essence of the summit was to activate a leadership renaissance and economic revival.

The conference witnessed an array of some of the finest brains in the country. Some of the speakers at the summit include His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCON, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who was represented by his Special Adviser on Youth and Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs. Moremi Soyinka - Onijala; Chief Olasukanmi Akinlabi, Hon. Minister of Youth Development; Mr. Tom Iseghoghi, GMD TransCorp; Mr. Remi Babalola, Minister of State for Finance; Mr. Treichel Volker, World Bank; Mr. Fela Durotoye, CEO, Visible Impact Ltd.; Mr. Toyin Subair, CEO, HiTV and GOTNI President Mr. Linus Okorie among others. Remarkable presentations on the dynamics of leadership capital, governance, business, and public service, along with their relevance and effect on Nigeria’s Vision 2020, dominated the plenary and the four (4) breakout sessions on Science and ICT, Public Service and Governance, Entrepreneurship and Business, and Entertainment, Arts and Media.

On the first day of the summit, TransCorp GMD, Mr. Tom Iseghoghi, in a remarkable overflow of emotions, could not hold back tears as he wept over the leadership crisis which has impoverished Nigeria – a country blessed with abundant human and natural resources. Presenting a talk titled: “Strategic Investment: Fast-Forwarding Economic Expansion”, he asked, “When are we going to get sick of being a country of just potentials?” He then declared that our best years are ahead of us and challenged participants and Nigerians in general to take personal responsibility for the desired transformation. “If not now, when? If not you, who?” the TransCorp boss questioned rhetorically.

The climax of the 2008 GOTNI Leadership Summit was the adoption of ten (10) values by participants as the quintessential characteristics of a true Nigerian. Setting the tone and providing the inspiration for this process, renowned motivational speaker and human resource manager Mr. Fela Durotoye of Visible Impact Ltd., made a soul-stirring presentation titled: “The Renaissance of Values and the New Nigeria”. After Mr. Durotoye’s presentation, the summit was in complete agreement that the pathway to national rebirth was the reawakening of an enviable and enduring values system in Nigeria. Hence, rising from the two-day summit, participants unanimously endorsed, declared and resolved to promote what it called “The Ten (10) Values of a True Nigerian” listed hereunder:

1. Make a positive impact on everyone you meet, everywhere you go and in everything you do.
2. Be a positive ROLE MODEL worthy of emulation.
3. Be a solution provider and not a problem to the solution.
4. Be the best in all that you do particularly the things you are naturally good at.
5. Do the right thing at all times regardless of who is doing the wrong thing.
6. Value time and make the best use of it.
7. Care and show that you care in all your words and actions.
8. Consciously build a great legacy starting today and everyday.
9. Live a life of honour and integrity.
10. Make your family, nation and Creator proud…Be someone’s claim to fame.

Ohimai Godwin AMAIZE
Chairman
Summit Communiqué Committee