The Foundation For Promoting Youth Creativity And Employment, a non governmental organization on Saturday held a media sensitization workshop on the role of the media in promoting inclusive politics and development in Nigeria.
YCE Foundation Sensitize’s Abia Media Practitioners on Inclusive Role In Politics And Development, Gifts Young Entrepreneur Starter Cash Reward(Photos)
The event also showcased young talents and prize winners of the YCE’s Entrepreneur Competition.
The guest speaker of the sensitization workshop, Dr. Uju Agomoh, stressed the need for the Nigeria media to increase the credibility, frequency and quality of reportage by Journalist.
Her words: “They call the media the ‘fourth estate” but I call it the heart beat of what we are supposed to be doing. It determines also what a lot of people do. In order words, a credible media can drive governance.”
The Director of the YCE foundation, Zimchim Andrea Agomoh, while addressing pressmen said: “A lot of people don’t believe you are going to give them free money. I think it’s their believe that nothing is free because of the climate we are in.”
“We also want to sensitize people to their political and Civic right. We are reaching those in the rural community who doesn’t have access to social media, and this has been more difficult as we thought it to be.”
Andrea also stressed on the need for cooperation among Nigeria youths.
“It’s very easy for those who doesn’t have us in mind to divide us if we are not together.
“Because there are those who can’t afford three square meal, talk more of buying data for social media, individuals like myself needed to find a way to reach them.” She added.
Andrea, however challenge the youths to find out what they can do for their community, not what their government can do for them.
“Always hold your leaders accountable. If you don’t elect people who speak for you, then you will elect people who speak against you” Andrea alerted.
As part of the event, sixteen young talented business minded entrepreneurs displayed their ideas through presentation during the contest , which saw a cash reward of five hundred thousand naira(500,000) won by the best participant, Ebube Sola Olaleye, an ex-banker but now the founder of PP’s Food, which processes Nigerian food products.
According to Ebube, “A friend tagged me on Facebook about the YCE competition and I decided to try my luck.”
Ebube however adviced youths to just be in the field in what they actually want to do and be in life.
Ikefuama Okechukwu Livingstone, a foot wear maker based in Aba, won the second price of two hundred thousand naira(200,000) naira.
His words: “I got this information on WhatsApp platform through the company that trained me, so I applied for it.
“Aba product has been known to be of fake. So what motivated me was trying to bridge that gap and change that mind set that we can’t have something that is of good quality at Aba. I wanted to create an African brand in Aba that will actually sell in the world.”
Okechukwu however advised youths that there is no other short way to success than hard work.
“Right now we shouldn’t be depending on government for jobs. There are a lot of skills someone can do in other to be gainfully employed and as well employ others” Okechukwu adviced.
The third price winner, Genius Oyemechi an entrepreneur in food services, such as snails, fish and chicken babicue, got a cash reward of one hundred thousand naira (100,000).
Part of Oyemechi’s innovative ideas in the business, is packaging food for busy workers as they make their order.
According to Oyemechi : ” I got the information about the competition on Facebook and good enough,a friend posted it.”
Onyemechi however advised youths to “discover what is lacking in the society, which is a problem to people, there you will be given the passion to solve it and it will get u to the height you want.”
The foundation for Youth Creativity And Employment was founded in 2012 with the primary focus of innovatively engaging young people on maximizing their potentials and further create sustainable platform for them to thrive wholesomely.
The YCE foundation gets funding support from Swiss Embassy.
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