The Lagos State Government on Monday officially kicked off the Boot Camp for Ibile Youth Academy, a leadership training programme for young people in the State, at Digital Bridge Institute (former Nitel Training School), Oshodi.
The one-week programme is for the 50 participants who emerged as winners from the Divisional Training held across the five divisions comprising Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Epe, whose names were announced by the Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat at the One-Day Leadership Summit and Alumni Launch held at Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium last week.
In his address at the opening ceremony, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende stated that “We can not afford to lose ourselves in the search for the Nigeria of our dreams. No nation is built by foreigners. We cannot actualise the lofty dream of our founding fathers if we don’t do away with the japa syndrome”.
He said that the youth, which is over 60% of Nigeria’s population, has what it takes to build the Nigeria of our dreams. “We need to come together and proffer homegrown solutions to the problems we are facing as a nation. Rome was not built in a day. It is one step at a time because a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. We must not give up, but keep on pushing until we get it right in all sectors.”
He advised the participants to see Nigeria as their fatherland that no one else would develop it for them, adding that “collaboratively we can build the nation of our dreams because united we stand, divided we fall.”
In her address, the Permanent Secretary, Pharm (Mrs.) Toyin Oke-osanyintolu commended the participants for making it thus far and implored them to utilise the platform to further deepen the knowledge of what they had learnt from their previous training.
Imploring the youths to live by values which will make them worthy ambassadors of the state, Pharm Oke-osanyintolu stated that the realities posed by the youth demography made the present administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu prioritise youth empowerment as one of its developmental pillars, which the Ministry is concerned with.
At the end of the one-week residential camp training programme where participants will share experiences, learn from each other and take part in healthy competition, the overall best participant is picked as the State Youth Ambassador, while the next five in terms of excellent performance are picked as Divisional Ambassadors representing the five divisions in the State.
