Is Nigeria too strong? Are Nigerians too resilient?

Eze's poem:

"I Fear for my country
That we've learnt to be strong (too strong)
To feel and just to move on
Too resilient to cry, to arise and make amends
I fear for my people
We've grown too strong to fight our demons."

Excerpts from 'dearth of a country' by Emelogu Danladi Eze

Image via Google and Twitter

Lagos, The African Way of Civilisation By Ren Wan

[MING]: After two years in and out of the third largest city in the world, Rem Koolhaas called the Nigerian wen something ‘at the forefront of a globalising modernity’: “Lagos is not catching up with us. Rather, we may be catching up with Lagos.” Constantly on its insane evolution hoping to strike off the notorious reputation as one of the least liveable city, Lagos itself is a soiled, earthly dream chaser; and Ren Wan witnessed from it Civilisation in the African Way.

I regretted right at the moment as I got the visa after a gasping interrogation at the embassy. Pole-apart from what I had expected, that embassy visits were nothing more than form-filling and queues, this time to the Nigerian one ironically offered more. I got stone-cold questions, hostile attitudes, though I had every (bizarre) required documents stated on the embassy website, including an “invitation letter” signed by my Nigerian contact.

The tiny glass at the counter divided me and the well- attired gentleman with the resemblance of Nelson Mandela, who threw to me what an FBI officer would smear over a drug dealer’s face. From my actual identity to my purpose of visit to my ‘potential conspiracy’… every razor sharp question cracked from his black lips made me feel like a prisoner without cuffs, or a smuggler who tried to get into the American border. “Good People. Great Country” This tagline on a poster at the door came into my sight as a wry joke.

“You will see why he has that attitude.” said a British- Indian merchant who was there to collect his visa, because few Chinese girls go to the country alone who aren’t going to meet her Nigerian lover. It was going to be his third visit to Lagos this year. I revealed the purpose of my visit, as a desperate attempt to relieve my pre-travel paranoia. “Good luck, and it is indeed a place for a good story.” The statement was supported by another guy present, a native Nigerian who came to extend his visa in Hong Kong. He was a young black guy in his late twenties, who happily showed me a picture of his Chinese wife and his kids. Lagos is a metropolis, I felt pride between his words, everyone in Nigeria wants to be in the past two years. And his statement was not without supporters.

As the most populous city in Nigeria, Lagos was indeed a name often seen on international press in the recent years. “A global city” was a united answer I had heard. It was a time right after the bomb attack in Abuja, people said the capital was no comparison to this “merely less-developed” megacity. They called it an economic centre of the largest country in West Africa, a cultural hub with great lifestyle despite the notorious title as the world’s third least liveable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It is the future
Hong Kong of Africa, Onno Ruhl, country head for the World Bank said to TIME last year. But I did not see any similarities (or potential ones) with my homeland. I saw a bizarre sovereignty of African civilisation.

Africa takes centre stage

It was scientifically proven that humankind evolved from black skin; which means black is the origin to all skin colours the civilised world represents to date. That means the black clan gave birth to all fruits civilisation has given us – from the art of fine dining to state-of- the-art technologies. While we from this part of the world are blessed with surplus of materials far beyond satisfaction of our basic necessity, this vast piece of land was once victimised under absurd Slavism, and is still the last runner on the racecourse of civilisation. But like a famous African proverb said, until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story; the face of Africa only has a western narrative.

At a seminar stage, Andrew Mwenda, a Ugandan journalist, once called for a new look at Africa. “Africa has immense opportunities that never navigate through the web of despair and helplessness that the Western media largely presents to its audience,” he said with determination. “As a consequence, the Western view of Africa’s economic dilemma is framed wrongly. The wrong framing is a product of thinking that Africa is a place of despair.” Truism stays with him. G.W. Fredrich Hegel, 18th century German philosopher, once declared with ignorant arrogance that Africa was not part of world history because the black had no individuality. Google stories on African and one will find besides wild getaways the missing of basic sanitation infrastructures, bony hands begging for succor, Somali pirates, kidnaps of Westerners, brutal and helpless scenes from Congo and Blood Diamond.

But as the continent, blessed with abundant natural resources and enviable landscapes, slowly gets rid of the third world status – only 33 remain the least developed category to date; we have seen on the global stage inspirers and change-makers from the ‘wild land’. In 2007, TED organised an Africa-themed event with insightful talks by such significant figures as William Kamkwamba, who invented a windmill to generate electricity for his poor community at the age of 14. Seyi Oyseola built a solar-powered mobile hospital. Last year, we applauded to three African Nobel laureates. In an Africa-themed exhibition at Kiasma in Finland, photographer Baudouin Mouanda tastefully captured African chic. This part of the world actually rocks.

Global city in a great country?Autumn heat was still steaming the city airport. Black gentlemen, looking spick and span in his suits, effortlessly made his way through the crowd of puzzled foreign visitors into a rusty yellow cab and disappeared into the vast megacity. Welcome to Lagos, the Centre of Excellence – the stately neon light box was losing its glow to the everyday blackouts. Nothing but the word ‘chaos’ was valid.
Those close to the authority fashioned diplomatic affability to just-landed Chinese investors, humbled themselves to push their guests’ luggage through the Customs counters, and happily received monetary rewards from the yellow hands. By exchanging merely basic hellos and all that jazz, policemen outside the airport helped your vehicle stop for a few bucks in return.“This is the way how things work here,” William Lui, a food factory owner from Hong Kong, whom I luckily ran into at the airport, said as he settled me in his car. Lui after that offered me his transportation throughout my stay, because cab drivers might take ‘white people’ – it was a black or white world, no yellow – to shaded alleys and rob them. Not only ‘white people’, my local photographer assured me. He wouldn’t ask for directions at night as well. Besides the local market cramped with cars and pedestrians, shops and restaurants had armed guards stationed at the gate. There was no such thing as ‘window shopping’ and ‘menu checking’. Furious traffic jam happened every morning and evening and it is almost a daily routine to be stuck in the middle of the chaos of roads and have your itinerary naturally cancelled. One night I was forced to cancel my dinner appointment because I stayed on the roads for four hours. What Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s national pride and music mogul from Lagos, once sang in ‘Go Slow’ in 1972 – Lorry dey for your front // Tipa dey for your back // Motorcycle dey for your left o // Taxi-moto dey for your right // Helicopter dey fly fly for your top o – is still the best depiction of its everyday cityscape.

More. One step on Bar Beach, the city’s beautiful white sand public beach, and you would be asked to pay, whilst many others set their own stalls on sand as bars and restaurants. The “magnificent architectural masterpiece” Lagosians prided themselves on, is the National Theatre with a musty odour. The city’s biggest shopping mall is the size of our community centre. Hawker stalls creeping along roads did not really expect customers. Recent news in Daily Times Nigeria mentioned a study that revealed 22% of Lagos drivers tested positive to drugs like cocaine and marijuana. And this is what they called a great country and a global city.

Lagosians, souls of the city

Temitayo, a young Nigerian writer in her mid- twenties, showed me her article about her homeland, ‘The Lagos Devil, she called it. It reminds me of a woman in labour, groaning and screaming curses at her husband and the gods that made the seed fertile. She wrote with paradoxical affection. Love, anxiety, anger, and fear all rolled in one ball, I feel for Lagos, but, unlike the pregnant woman who delivers a child; I don’t know what Lagos will bring forth!

With a majority of the cityscape barred behind guarded high walls, roads became the only mirror of the city, its people – and they call themselves Lagosians – its only soul. Despite the broken roads, incomplete infrastructures, and the everyday blackouts, Lagos nurtures the most notable spirits humanity would celebrate. Enthusiasm has its best glow under the silver sky of the fuel-clogged city. Without much left by their ancestors, a local journalist friend Jennifer Ehidiamen told me, Lagos is up to the making of the young generations. “Those before you must have worked really hard to make sure your generation enjoy a good country. That is what most Nigerians are doing,” she said. “Most young Nigerians are working hard and dreaming more, so that the next generation will not go through the same hardship. So it is like a seed one generation sow for the next to reap and nurture for posterity. If old generations in Nigeria had kept this in perspective, we would have been spoilt too.”

Positivity does rule this place. The ‘World’s Happiest Place’ sign soaring at the airport, as a Guardian journalist once recalled, may have its point. An international survey revealed that Nigeria’s positivity index was 70, whilst UK had a tragic -44.

Will Anderson, who did a documentary on Lagos, said Lagosians never see themselves as victims; they are tireless aspirers. Hawkers wandering around the streets may not have good business, but they were rewarded with laughter and chats with neighbours. A young gentleman who arranged my interview with a governor, owned an I.T company, while he was actively developing the emerging movie scene of Nigeria. We call it Nollywood, he said and immediately jumped to ask about the popularity of websites like YouTube in China. I marvelled at his packed schedule and the speed of his tapping on his Blackberry. “Because the city has high unemployment and bad traffic, going freelance is a mainstream,” he said. “You find entrepreneur on every street.”

Children whose family could not afford their education were satisfied with fierce football games on abandoned space with bare feet. Learning that I was from Asia, one kid came to me and asked with excitement how much more advanced China is than Nigeria. My answer might be a disappointment, yet he said with pride: we are almost there.While signs of a developed place in our world are about infrastructures, destination landmarks and civil services; the way Lagos defines civilisation is hedonism and naively bold visions. Like what Nigerian scholar Michael Eucheruo wrote in his book Victorian Lagos, this is an out-and-out international city like Amsterdam and Paris. Albeit the shortage of infrastructure, Lagos is thriving as a cultural and economic hub in West Africa. The tireless operation of the oil mine right next to the city’s main bridge strikes as a hope for future. Like Rem Koolhaas said in 2005 in Lagos Wide and Close, this place does not reflect despair, it is in fact where the civilisation heads to – the aspiration to build a better place.

Text by Ren Wan
Issue #37 BLACK is on the shelf now

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

Slum2School Volunteer Shares Experience

Volunteerism and philanthropy is one of the 21st century global strategies to solve problems around the United Nations Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals. At a time when the quest for youth development and the need for leadership is at its peak, being a volunteer for developmental projects provide the unique learning experience and grooming ground for personal growth and making social impact. It is my chief recommendation for students’ co-curricular activities as well as a platform for professionals to position themselves as socially responsible individuals. From my experience, volunteering was the biggest step I took to getting closer to my personal aspirations in life, and it has been the most fulfilling and rewarding impact and contribution I have made in my society.

I indicated interest in being a Slum2School Volunteer in 2012 after Otto Orondaam’s speech about the Founding and future of the NGO at Lagos NYSC Passing out ceremony. It was a unique opportunity to direct my energy and time towards such a developmental and youth driven initiative. S2S was just a few months old at the time, but I had no doubt about her prospect for growth and impact, based on all volunteers’ commitment.

Conspicuously, since that period, Slum-to-School Africa has provided educational scholarships for over 650 underprivileged children and renovated two rural schools. We have also organized over 20 community programmes.

My first task was to commit my time like every other volunteer even though we received no monetary reward. Our passion did and still supersedes the thirst for compensation for all the time we spend. This was for me the true meaning of volunteering - following through a course until the end, without any iota of doubt that time and energy spent is helping to positively impact other people’s lives. A cause larger than oneself.

I volunteered with the primary aim of just helping and contributing to an urgent cause, unknown to me at the time, the benefits that came with being a volunteer. I was an undergraduate struggling with the scarcity of time and commitment to my grades; it was very tempting to attribute volunteering to a waste of time. The challenges however brought along so many learning opportunities I would perhaps never have gained otherwise. Working under pressure to meet deadlines and time management was a skill I am grateful to have acquired through volunteering. A skill applicable to my career till date, which I believe is same for most volunteers. We had to be spontaneous, think on our feet, always finding ways to meet up with impromptu meetings and tasks.

Volunteering for Slum2School improved my problem solving skills. I was delighted to join the crop of young leaders who rather than complain, found ways to make things work. This made me become more compassionate and more optimistic than ever before, even though the intensity of the problems we face were and are still very glaring to us.

My most memorable volunteer experience in August 2013 also was a test of my resolve. Being one of the 17 volunteers that travelled on water for about two hours to get to a rural community on the outskirts of Lagos and walking in swamps for another 45 minutes to get to another community, hitherto, was a challenge I would have deemed unfit to be part of. The drive and passion to provide educational opportunities to remote areas superseded our own personal comforts. I built skills around organizing, logistics, coordinating and in fact learning to live and work with different people in a condition that really demanded the highest level of people skills.

As a member of the sales team for Slum2School, selling the idea of the project improved my sales and networking skills. From a pool of 1,300 applicants from 190 countries, I was one of the 40 youths selected to present various developmental projects they were working on. This was a unique global opportunity and it was highly fulfilling that all our volunteer works were being recognized and appreciated globally. The One Young World Summit in South Africa was attended by global leaders like Kofi Annan, Winnie Mandela, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington and many others. It was an amazing feeling to realise that amongst the countless projects in 190 countries, Slum 2 School was recognised to be one of the best.

Africa CEO of Standard Chartered Bank was impressed by my speech and our work at S2S. She invited me to share our ideas with a dozen global CEOs, resulting to a donation and increasing our NGOs monetary value. I also got the unique opportunity to meet Aliko Dangote, the richest and most influential black, through the contacts I made on this platform.

Volunteering for Slum 2 School therefore gave me the unique opportunity to be a global advocate for education. An achievement that may not come around if one remained in their comfort zones. Recruiters and various institutions are becoming more attracted to youths who have volunteered and made a lot of positive impacts around the world. With rising global challenges, problems and opportunities, the importance and necessity of volunteerism to make social impact can never be overemphasised. It is indeed an antidote to many global problems such as lack of access to education which Slum 2 School volunteers have been tenaciously working to provide across board. I believe very strongly that anyone seeking to be part of this global change makers has definitely chosen to make one of the toughest and best choices.

Best wishes to every present and potential young leader.

 

Admin's note: Will you like to volunteer with Slum2School? Then visit: http://slumtoschool.org for more information!

Recommended Reading: Half a Loaf & a Bakery: Learning by Doing Before Graduation- FREE DOWNLOAD- scribd.com/doc/210221423/Half-A-Loaf-A-Bakery-by-Jennifer-Ehidiamen-and-Funso-Bukoye

Video: Life stories of out-of-school adolescent girls in Nigeria’s poor communities

‎"Journalism is a powerful tool that empowers individuals, builds stronger local communities and elevates global awareness."

Action Health Incorporated (@actionhealthinc) has released three short films in the ‘Keeping The Promise Series’-- ‘Girls Are Us’, ‘Slipping Through the Crack’ and ‘Make Every Girl Count’- that project the true life stories of out-of-school adolescent girls in Nigeria’s poor communities.

The films are based on findings of the AHI study to explore and document the realities, needs and concerns of out-of-school adolescent girls in Lagos slums.

You can watch the films by following these hyperlinks on YouTube:

Girls Are Us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUjIqy0FzdU

Slipping Through The Crack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Saex1mINB4

Make Every Girl Count:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBCS-Ffn63g



)


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Nigerians on Lagos Island Celebrate the Eyo Festival

My article on Global Press Institute

Nigerians on Lagos Island in southwestern Nigeria celebrated the Eyo Festival at the end of November. Originally known as Adimu Orisha play, the festival is unique to the island and is a tradition of the Yoruba ethnic group. It can be organized to mark various occasions but was traditionally used as a final burial rite after the death of a chief.
In recent years, the festival has honored the late Yesufu Abiodun Oniru, who was the chief of Lagos from 1934 to 1984. He contributed to the development of Lagos state and fought many battles to liberate the indigenous people of the Lagos colony from Great Britain.

The climax of the festival was the public parade on Nov. 26. Participants dressed up as Eyos, or masquerades, wearing white clothing. Each Eyo group wore a hat of a distinct color to symbolize the various ancestries of the island.

Streets were closed off, and everyone had to walk barefoot as a sign of respect. The parade terminated in Tafawa Balewa Square, where people from all over Lagos gathered to watch the festival.

Read more: http://www.globalpressinstitute.org/global-news/africa/nigeria/nigerians-honor-former-chief-celebrate-cultural-heritage-during-eyo-festi#ixzz1fjd6cnKM

Click here to view Photos on Google+ or Flickr

Imagine Nigeria...

"Imagine a country where the Hausa, Ibo,

Yoruba, Isoko, Itsekiri, Nupe and all Nigerians

See themselves as Nigerian first before their tribe."

Imagine Nigeria...

By Arukaino Umukoro

Imagine those American kids on Youtube

Really meant it when they sang

'I want to be a Nigerian so freaking bad'

Cos Bruno Mars now lives in Yola.

Imagine those bomb blasts were actually scenes from a Nollywood set.

Imagine Nollywood movies winning Oscars every other year.

Imagine Super Eagles winning the World Cup.

Imagine Nigeria finishing among the top five

On the Olympics medals table.

Imagine food baskets all over the country

Enough to feed 200 million people

Yet have enough left for export.

Imagine the UN asking Third World countries

To learn from the rapid 'development of the West;

Only this time, the 'West'

Actually means South-West Nigeria.

A global model for socio-economic development.

Imagine the rise of groundnut pyramids

Like sphinx in the Northern deserts.

Imagine those cattle

On a thousand Northern hills & valleys,

Whose dairy products are sold in Europe.

Imagine 'almajiri' is an ancient word.

Imagine Harvard in Jigawa

And MIT in Kebbi.

Imagine that the best resorts

In Africa are in the Niger Delta

Imagine that those children could

Actually swim in clean waters flowing from the creeks.

Imagine Hawaii in Akwa Ibom or Bayelsa

Imagine Disneyland in Warri.

Imagine those architectural masterpieces.

Imagine a boat cruise in the Niger Delta.

Imagine those exotic landscapes in the South.

Imagine the lush vegetation and fertile lands,

Beautiful landscapes

And techies in West Africa's first Silicon Valley in the East.

Imagine an original car model called Utomibile. Maybe Aba-car or Zik-ari,

Designed & manufactured in Aba

But competing with others made in Europe & Asia.

Imagine Japanese CEOs driving made-in-Nigeria cars.

Imagine one Naira to a dollar.

Imagine nine functional refineries.

Imagine nuclear power plants in Ajaokuta.

Imagine 24 hour electricity in every city or village

Without the interruption of generators

Bleating like stray goats in the marketplace. 

Imagine you telling your children PHCN stories and everyone laughing about it,

Like they were fairy tales or Alice in Wonderland.

Imagine the first Nigerian astronaut

Taking off from Abuja Space Agency.

Imagine the Nigerian police truly being your friends.

Imagine a well-equipped police force

Without the everyday drama of corruption.

Imagine thirty seven world class international airports.

Imagine Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez

Travelling to Nigeria on Nigeria Airways.

Yes, 'Nigeria' Airways.

Imagine Sasha & Malia Obama

Begging for a Nigerian vacation.

Imagine the beauty of traffic at night.

And the joy of inter-state road trips.

Imagine a country bonded by its diverse cultures,

Cemented with the right values system.

Imagine a country where the Hausa, Ibo,

Yoruba, Isoko, Itsekiri, Nupe and all Nigerians

See themselves as Nigerian first before their tribe.

Imagine Tuwo sinkafa, amala, and banga,

On the regular menu list in Waldorf Astoria.

Imagine that the 350 ethnic groups

Understand their differences.

Imagine that the people,

Rather than fight,

Harness her diversity into strength.

Imagine a truly indivisible country.

Imagine how great Nigeria would be

If every tribe & group unite as one.

Imagine 180 million beautiful people

In a beautiful country,

One nation under God,

Living together,

For the love of country & humanity.

Imagine a country with focused,

Selfless leaders. And strong institutions.

Imagine a country where Boko Haram,

Kidnapping, Niger Delta militancy et al

Would be forgotten tales by moonlight

When we sit under the shades of history,

Sipping the palmwine of true nationhood.

Imagine a country where the rule of law prevails.

Imagine a country where there is dignity in labour.

Imagine a country where justice

Is a meal both the rich & poor can afford.

Imagine your imagination running wild.

Like truly seeing Eko Atlantic City

On Victoria Island Beach,

Imagine Nigeria's own Manhattan.

Imagine Ajegunle, Mushin and Agege

With VGC architecture, infrastructure and design.

Imagine you living the Nigerian dream.

Imagine 'that' is possible.

Forget Nigeria today.

Imagine the new Nigeria tomorrow.

Imagine that beautiful country

Called NIGERIA.

Imagine.

But don't stop there.

Together, we can make it better!

God bless Nigeria.

© Arukaino Umukoro.

Minister of Youth Development to host a Town Hall meeting with Nigerian youth

I recently heard that the Minister of Youth Development will be hosting a Town Hall meeting with Nigerian youth online :) Please participate and get your voice heard! Endeavor to share the outcome of the meeting with offline friends! :-)

Date:  Thursday, September 8th 2011

Time: 3.00 - 5.00 p.m.

Chief host: The Minister for Youth dvelopment, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi.

Twitter handle: @BolajiAbdullahi

Venue: www.twitter.com
   


The document below is the Ministry's strategic plan in dealing with issues affecting young people in the country. This will form the basis of the discussions at the townhall. Kindly read, review and tell your friends about it! Source: AfterSchoolPrep

  
Nigerian Youth: Key Interventions Proposed by the Ministry of Youth Development

Background

Those between 18 and 35 constitute almost 50% of the Nigerian population (NPC 2006). Given its size, energy, passion and creativity, this demographic group should be a critical resource for economic growth, sustainable development, and national transformation in Nigeria. At present, it is not. This is because the potential contributions of our young population is compromised by a host of challenges, including lack of jobs, limited marketable skills, low entrepreneurial bias, limited access to credit, high vulnerability to poverty, limited level of inclusion, and low value orientation etc.

Our present economic growth rate could mask the extent of youth deprivation in the country. Rather than be taken in by seemingly robust growth rates, we should learn, proactively, from the recent experience in North Africa and the Middle East. And now, the United Kingdom. Tunisia, for example, had a steady growth rate of about 9%. But despite this healthy outlook, it was the first to erupt when the simmering anger of its deprived and frustrated youth eventually boiled to the surface.

While many countries are ageing, we are blessed with abundant youth population, and it has been projected that by 2030 our most important resource will be our youth, not oil (British Council 2010). But our youth bulge could turn out to be either a demographic dividend or a demographic disaster. It is important therefore that we do more to harness the potentials of our youth, put in place policies and programmes to unlock the binding constraints on their path, and scale up investment to turn this huge demographic force to a force for good. We shouldn’t do this just because we love our youth. On the contrary, we should do it because it makes economic, social, political, and security sense.

Where We Are
The Federal Government has a plethora of initiatives and investments aimed at addressing the youth challenge in the country. But our analysis reveals that our youth population is underserved for the following reasons:

Lopsidedness: About 90% of the budget of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and its two parastatals goes to NYSC alone (N43bn out of N49bn in 2011 budget). This is not to say that the budget of NYSC is too much, but that almost all our resources for youth development go to one year in the life of those lucky to be graduates of universities and polytechnics. 

Limited Coverage: As presently focused, most of the activities of the Ministry serve what can be categorized as the elite youth: university graduates and politically-active youth and their organizations. This means that a majority of our youth are outside the scope of our interventions. However, it is this category of missing and underserved youththat portends the most danger to the country in terms of crime, restiveness, political thuggery and religious extremism. 

Misalignment:The major challenge facing our youth today is lack of jobs and skills. Unfortunately, our major investments in youth development do not tackle this major challenge. The NYSC, the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre and the mainline Ministry do little to prepare the youth for the job market or to expand opportunities available to them. Also, there is misalignment between the available training programmes and the needs of the industry.

Limited Coordination: Because of the cross-cutting nature of youth development, responsibilities are dispersed in different sectors. This is to ensure that the youth challenge is tackled in a holistic and comprehensive manner. However, due to lack of adequate coordination, most youth programmesdo not serve their intended target or the concerns of the youth get crowded out in the mix.

Tokenism: A lot is being done to reduce general unemployment, but much more could be done to directly tackle the specific obstacles to youth employment. Our young people could not access the available job opportunities because they are not skilled, do not have experience, and do not have collateral for credit. Most of the existing skills training programmes are either below market standards or too token; and the financial supports/loans offered for entrepreneurship are too paltry to make any meaningful impact. Also, states and LGAs (where most of our youth live) could do much more than they are doing at present.

Little Engagement: Little is being done to involve the youth in the design and implementation of the programmes directed at them, so most of these youth-targeted interventions fail because they do not reflect the needs of their intended beneficiaries. Beyond opportunistic and counter-productive engagement at election periods, little effort is made to involve the youth in the larger decision-making process or give them stake in the society.

Strategic Priorities & Key Interventions
Given our mandate, the key challenges of our clients, and the need for us to play a key role in the Transformation Agenda, the Ministry of Youth Development after its recent retreat decided to focus on the following five strategic priorities:

Facilitate targeted skills acquisition, enterprise development and credit access for the youth;
Reform/reposition key institutionsof the Ministry to improve service and value to youth and country;
Mobilize, empower, and re-orientate the youth;
Improve monitoring and coordination of different youth programmes across sectors/tiers;
Enhance advocacy and communication to make youth issues an urgent national priority.

Arising from the above, some of the key interventions being proposed are as follows:

1.     Youth Employment Project
We propose to initiate a Youth Employment Project, which is a short-term, quick-impact intervention that will provide skills and entrepreneurial trainings, job placements, business development services and concessionary credit to our youth. This project is not a replacement for the NDE and other such initiatives, as it will be different in terms of its specificity to the youth, and its scale, execution mode and quality. The Project aims to reach 500, 000 youth per year (NDE’s is for 36,000 Nigerians) and will be undertaken mostly through credible intermediaries in private and public sectors and civil society. It is expected that YEP will become part of the Youth Development Fund once the enabling law is passed.

2.     Reform of the NYSC
The NYSC is the singular most important investment in youth development in the country today. But the return on investment to the country and the corps members has been low. While security of corps members has been a major concern lately, it is clear that NYSC is long due for a holistic review that will align the scheme with challenges of the moment. We therefore propose to go beyond the cosmetic reforms of the past and plan to reposition the NYSC to serve as a boot-camp/finishing school for our graduates and to provide real service to the country in infrastructure, farming, and teaching etc. As a starting point, we want to propose the setting up of a Presidential Committee on the Review of the NYSC.

3.     “Drive the Future Nigeria” Campaign
Many of our youth have become cynical, disoriented, dysfunctional and alienated. We plan to re-engage our youth and increase their self-belief, agency and voice by initiating an IT-led but multimedia and multi-lingual campaign to put them in the driver’s seat of their future. Led by Youth Champions, this campaign will also be used to mobilize the youth, make them part of the decision-making process and arm them with positive values of citizenship, entrepreneurship, work ethic and leadership. It will be run in partnership with civil society and the private sector, and will serve as a creative vehicle for engaging and empowering the youth.

4.   Improving Data for Planning & Advocacy
The youth population is not a homogenous group, and we cannot serve them well if we continue to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. We therefore plan to improve our understanding of our clients by undertaking a number of studies, including: a disaggregated study of the youth population to be able to adequately segment the various sub-groups in terms of location, level of education/skills, size, disposition, challenges etc.; a scoping study of the various interventions by different actors across sectors and tiers for us to have a comprehensive view of the landscape and ensure proper coordination and impact; a database of the unemployed youth in the country; and refocusing of the Youth Development Index, which was first and last published in 2008, to serve as a tool for tracking and advocacy.

5.     Repositioning the Ministry
We plan to reposition the Ministry because we need to redefine our role as a facilitator/coordinator, rather than as a service provider. This will entail not just a re-orientation and restructuring but the development of appropriate capacities for policy-making and research, for coordination and partnership, and for advocacy and communication. The Ministry needs to be fit-for- purpose and be positioned to serve the youth—its client—and the country better. This will entail institutional review and re-alignmeant.



Source: Federal Ministry of Youth Development

My Nigeria! It is Up to Me! Its Y(our) Nigeria too...

A friend recently told me about a new not-for-profit project tagged "My Nigeria," focused on mobilizing youths online to take ownership of Nigeria and implement change projects in their local communities (offline). It sounds different from the armchair criticism and analysis that is going online (the internet) these days right? Read more about the idea below:

My Nigeria is a youth movement that challenges every young Nigerian to become a part of the solution to the challenges faced by Nigeria through their engagement in their communities. Whilst we know how overwhelming the challenges of nation building in Nigeria is and are aware of how some of our leaders at all levels have failed to meet our expectation in the past, our focus is to look inwards to develop quality leaders amongst young Nigerians.

We hope to achieve this by challenging the youths to do what they can today to make a difference in the lives of the people around them. By flexing their leadership muscles, we believe that we will be able to nurture a generation that will not continue in the mistakes of the past but will take ownership of the success of the future through active participation in making Nigeria work, one community at a time.

Through a vibrant online forum that will actively engage young Nigerians in sharing the stories of their change projects to inspire one another, essay competition that will boost the critical mindedness of young people, and an interactive sessions with selected role models in our society, young Nigerians will be able to grasp the vision on how to make Nigeria their Nigeria.

My Nigeria is designed and driven by Nigerian youths with a decade long experience of making change in their community has a vision of mobilizing 100,000 youth by 2020 who would have implemented change projects in their communities and become advocates for participatory change in Nigeria.

The platform challenges the myth that Nigerians are too discouraged by the failure of our leaders to get engaged in Nation building. It seeks to look beyond what we lack and develop our potential for greatness - The Nigerian youth. We dare to refocus the minds of Nigerian youth from thinking about what my country can or cannot do or provide for me to what I can do to improve the quality of life of people within my reach. The philosophy is that true leaders are made in the fields of volunteerism and selfless community service.

JOIN THE First ONLINE FORUM on 22nd August 2011.

10 SIMPLE STEPS TO TAKE PART IN THE MY NIGERIA ONLINE FORUM• Visit www.my-nigeria.net/forum

• click REGISTER

• Follow all registration process.

• Enter a Username

• Enter your email address, password and click submit.

• Click “Return to the Index Page”

• Login using your Username and Password

• Click on My Nigeria Discussion Forum

• Select a topic from any of the facilitators

• Start discussing

Visit My Nigeria Blog: www.my-nigeria.net

Join the conversation on Facebook. Follow My Nigeria on Twitter @My_Nigeria

INTERVIEW: Meet the winner of Don Jazzy's Enigma Competition 2011

Three winners have emerged in the just concluded Don Jazzy’s Enigma Beat Competition. The competition, which went viral while it lasted, was launched a few weeks ago with over 1,800 submissions. After screening and short-listing the entries down to top ten, the publics were invited to vote for their favorite artiste.

According to a post on the website that hosted the competition, notjustok.com, the top 10 entries had 34,410 votes from different parts of the world. On Monday, 15th August, the top three artistes who emerged winners were announced. IBK Spaceship Boi, was top winner with 13,214 Votes. While Teeklef Unogu came second place with 7,864 Votes and Opeyemi Akinloye aka OPZY had5,746 votes, coming third place.

In this interview with Jennifer Ehidiamen, the Computer Engineering graduate from Covenant University, Emuwawon Ibukun Kevin, aka IBK Spaceship Boi shares his experience on the Don Jazzy Enigma Beat competition and his aspiration forthe future as he launches fully into the Nigeriam Music industry.

In retrospect, who was your favorite artiste from the top 10 shortlisted on Don Jazzy's Enigma competition?

IBK: Wow! That's a tough one because everyone had elements in their delivery that was exclusive to them, and I appreciated the individual diversity each time I listened through the top ten list. They were all deserving winners, but I can't seem to take a pick.

The track you entered for the competition started with "a toast to the winner," was that a premonition that you would win?

IBK: Yes it was, (Laughs) because winning for me was encapsulated around the fact that a young man or woman would be inspired to dream and become what God wants them to be on earth after they listen to the record. I was positive I had delivered to that effect and shouting out a toast to the ultimate winner in the deity of Christ was to reassure myself that He would bless His people through the work He inspired me to do.

If you had not won the competition, whom else do you think deserved to win on the list aside Teeklef and Opzy?

IBK: Like I said earlier, they were all deserving winners. Everyone had what it took to get the number 1 ticket. It could have been anyone on that list, but the author wrote that chapter in my favour and for a very good reason too.

You won the competition with a striking 13,214 Votes, compared to Teeklef's 7,864 Votes and Opzy's 5,746 Votes, what do you think endeared you to the listeners who voted for you?

IBK: I would say the message and the way it was delivered. I heard the beat and immediately thought "cinema", hence I introduced the effect elements like the thunder sound, rain, soldier foot stomps, extra vocals to make the intro fuller and an inspiring hook, with the body of the rap focusing on the story of God's salvation told in a manner the rap artiste, Common, did in the song “I used to love her”. It was different and stood out. For some people, it was a bold step doing what I did. I can't forget a comment from someone on twitter saying "Wow! You spoke about Jesus without saying His name but we all got the message. That is true creativity." But most importantly, I found favour with God and with the listeners because it was ordained to be, even before I was born.

How was the waiting process, between the time the poll closed on notjustok.com and when the result was announced on Monday?

IBK: (Exclaims) It was horrible! Ah! I had to remind myself of God's word that says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your request known unto God." It was a true test of selflessness. There were many moments of doubt because I didn't know what it would be judged by. I kept telling myself, "but you are already fulfilled in what you set out to do, which was to inspire people". It wasn't a pleasant waiting moment I must say. But God proved Himself.

Where were you when you were told you won? What was your first reaction?

IBK: I was on a Bike, heading out to see a friend. I find traveling on Bikes an efficient means of beating the traffic jam in Lagos. Anyway, as we rode along, a friend sent a BBM message saying "Yayyyy!!! You won". I was like “Please don't play with my emotions, oh please!” All of a sudden, another message came in, and another and another, all saying congratulations. I broke down in tears as the Okada (Bike) rider kept going. Immediately called my mum and told her what had happened because mummy was supportive with her votes, with prayers and all, thank God for my family and friends, they were all so supportive.

Before the Enigma Beat competition, where was IBK Spaceship Boi and now that you won, what next?

IBK: Before the competition, I was working on my debut album schedule to drop sometime in 2012, a current member of bez's band and very well into the business of creating music for other artists, companies and all. What happens next is obvious to me because I have always been on "what next" since I was born. It is simple, be sensitive to listen and obey Gods voice because like I said earlier, He is the author and director; I am just an actor with a script He wrote for His play.

Tell us a bit more about life as a music producer and songwriter

IBK: It's fun having the ability to create; an amazing experience having to go through old records, redefine the sound and make it fresh for the human ear consumption. "There is nothing new under the sun" King Solomon once said. It is pretty cool being your own boss and pushing yourself to achieve your goals. It is exciting and fun, especially when the set wages for your services are handed to you, wow! That sure is amazing.

You studied Computer Engineering but today you have ventured into music full-time. Was this an easy transition?

IBK: Music for me has always been my life. I wanted to go to Australia to study Sound Engineering prior to going to Covenant University to study Computer Engineering. There was no transition at all. It was staple right from my tender ages. I knew this was what I was going to do and I bless God for all the people that added to me being where I am today.

What advice do you have for young Nigerians who are aspiring to be or pursue a career different from what they are studying presently?

IBK: Go for it! Develop yourself in what you want to do. It takes lots of reading and doing what the average person won't do in order for you to be exceptional. I can't tell you the amount of sleepless nights I have had in my little journey so far. Make sure you have a strong purpose for going into what you want to go into, and the motive should be centered on solving a problem or adding value.

Why did you enter for the Enigma Beat competition?

IBK: I entered because it was an opportunity to get God's word out. I entered the competition to inspire that boy and girl who would listen to what I put out. It was a selfless route for me and I am grateful it turned out the way it did.

What is your opinion about the Nigerian music industry? What excites you about the industry? What difference are you bringing on board?

IBK: The Nigerian music industry is in transition like most things are in the country. Where our country is today is primarily as a result of the mindset of its people. We hold our future in our hands but its beauty is evident when we commit it to the hands of God. What excites me about the industry is the growing desire for development and improvement in the nature of material its artistes put out. People are gradually moving from the mediocre state of mind to actually pushing themselves to be creative. The industry is still “doggy dog,” but we are getting there. I want to stir up the drive to put out quality products that would inspire my nation and the world at large. Let's make our nation the most desirable place to live in, let's get more youths thinking like job creators and not job seekers. We need more Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) growing to become Conglomerates. Lets work towards setting policies that will be enforced for the growth of the industry. Let's grow, we can do it and we shall. God bless Nigeria.

Readers can listen to or download “I have a Dream” for FREE, please visit: www.reverbnation.com/spaceshipboi Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/spaceshipboi

CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO READ ABOUT THE COMPETITION AND WINNING ENTRIES!!!

This interviewed was first published in the Nation Newspaper, August 21st, 2011.