Mary Nnah
For youth to emerge into greatness, they must be ready to make a difference, see opportunities where others are seeing problems and be ready to develop their innate potentials, utilising them maximally, said speakers at a youth conference tagged “Emerge in Life” organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Dominion Sanctuary, Region 19, ACME, Ogba, Lagos.
The resource persons, including Pastor-in-Charge of Region 19, Pastor Brown Oyitso; Executive Director, John Maxwell Global Youth Initiative Team, Mrs. Olatokunbo Ige; a member of the team, Mr. Olusoji Oyawoye; Managing Director, ARM Financial Advisors, Mrs. Henrietta Bankole-Olusina; Country Director, ANDELA, Mrs. Omowale David-Ashiru and Chief Executive Officer, Wilson’s Juice Company, Mr. Seyi Abolaji, admonished the youth to do self-appraisal by concentrating on that aspect of their life where they have comparative advantage.
Oyitso, who doubles as the Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Missions of the RCCG, particularly noted that the theme of the conference could not have been more appropriate considering the current socio-economic situation of the country and its implication on the future of young adults and youth who appear to have been relegated to the background across every facet of the society and nation at large.
“The programme offers immense opportunity for a new vision and a fresh start to anyone who has been hiding from the shame of past failures, relegated to the background and limited by their immediate circumstances and environment”, he said.
He listed factors youths must consider to emerge into greatness to include connection with God Almighty the creator, having a sense of purpose in life, being goal oriented, having positive mindset and habits, being well informed and time conscious, praying without ceasing as well as rendering thanksgiving to God always.
Corroborating Oyitso’s views, Ige a committed disciple of Dr. John Maxwell, a foremost expert in the area of personal development for transformational leadership, urged the youths to discover their purpose and potential through self-awareness, character, skills, relationships and spiritually.
Also, Oyawoye, while urging the youth to make a difference, noted that what one becomes in life is a matter of choice. “Choice is a gift, a gift you give yourself. We all start life with no choices but as we grow, what we get out of life is the result of the choices we made”, he said.
While David-Ashiru, represented by Femi Sojebi harped on emerging technologies and the need to sustain relevance in the digital world, Abolaji who is a Co-founder of Wilson’s Juice Company urged the youth to embrace entrepreneurship as white collar jobs were becoming elusive. Bankole-Olusina called the youth’s attention to future of work, saying they need to seize emerging opportunities and strive to adapt to new demands.
Explaining further the essence of the programme, Chairman Planning Committee, Pastor Osato Noah said it was informed by the desire to provide a platform to inspire, galvanize and mobilise the youth against any form of hindrances and limitations to their aspirations.
