Progressive Anambra Youths (PAY) Organizes Youth Entrepreneurship And Leadership Summit In Awka

By Izunna Okafor

Youths have been charged to embrace entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills, as as a sure way to becoming change makers in their society.

This was the centre piece at the one-day youth entrepreneurship and leadership summit which took place in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

Delivering a keynote speech at the event organized by Progressive Anambra Youths (PAY), the MD/CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service, Chief Nworah urged the youths to equip and prepare themselves for opportunities, to be the change makers and good leaders they are meant to be, maintaining that leadership is all about responsibility, which he argured one cannot successfully discharge without first preparing himself for it.

He disclosed that the best the society needs now is a 'Glocal Leader' who, according to him is a leader who has global ideas, and standard of leadership, and now innovatively brings them down into practice at the local leadership and his immediate environment. This he also maintained, requires some relevant skills such as survival skills, social skills, networking skills, intellectual skills, creative skills, entrepreneurship skills among others, calling on the youths to make adequate use of such great opportunities.

Dissecting the theme of the event: 'Raising Global Change Makers For National Leadership,' the founder of the Leading Edge Group, Abuja, Dr. Ben Nwankwo who also doubled as keynote speaker at the event, described positive change as a locomotive or psychological movement of transformation from one position to another in a positive direction, maintained that the first step to becoming a good leader is having a vision, and bringing it down into reality.

Dr. Nwankwo who was a three-time member of the National Assembly where the represented Orumba North and South Federal Constituency said the condition of both developed and unde-developed nations in the world is primarily a resultant effect of leadership of each country, charging the youths to rise up and take their destinies into their hands, by acquiring the relevant skills, knowledge and training as according to him, leadership is not about position, but all about action.

Contributing The planning Committee Chairman, Mr. Ifeatu Chidebe who disclosed that the program also marked the 10th year anniversary of the organization'a existence, appreciated his team members and other members of the organization who worked tirelessly and sacrificed both resources and time to make the event a success.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the President of PAY, Engr. Ifeanyichukwu Ike who went memory lane on how the group was founded in 2009, while describing the event as an annual flagship program of the group, designed to serve as a big platform to ignite conversation by young leaders from various strata of endeavours on areas of political and corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, education and community service.

In his word "AYELS is a meeting point for engaging discussion and exchange of ideas on how to groom visionary young leaders as well as fitted human infrastructure for today's and tomorrow's governance"

Engr. Ike further highlighted some of the feats recorded so far by the organisation, even as he rolled out some of the projects they intend to pursue soon, including distributing 20, 000 exercise books and 2000 textbooks to some secondary and primary schools in the hinterlands of the state, and solicited public support to facilitate the achievement of the goal.

Declaring the event open, the Chairman of the occasion, Engr. Jude-Kingsley Onyeka described the event as apt, giving the rueful situation of the counrecounted, which he said is neither encouraging nor hold any good for the youths and future generation.

He recounted his experience during his political race to represent the Nnewi North/South Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in the 2019 general election, which he said made him to know the youths are now more conscious of money than good leadership and good governance, which according to him, is why visionless leaders are still being enthroned in the country; urging the youths to take good advantage of such gathering to recalibrate their minds.

The event which featured a discussion session had in attendance: member representing Nnewi North Constituency in the state's House of Assembly and founding President of the group Hon. Nonso Okafor; APC candidate for the Anocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia in the 2019 general election, Amb. Elijah Onyeagba; Executive Director, Development Centre for Orientation, Discovery and Empowerment (DECODE), Mrs. Cynthia Enweonwu-Arinze; MD, Jerospalm Industries Ltd., Engr. Ezeilo Chiegboka; organizer, Toronto International Film Festival, Mr. Billion Obi, and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Entrepreneurship, Hon. Ifeanyi, among others.