Professor Lateef Sanni, the Dean, faculty of Food Tech at FUTAB, Chief Segun Odegbami (MON), Chairman, International Sports Academy are among the guest speakers expected at the forthcoming first annual O’odua Youth Conference (OYC).
The conference, organized by OYC, the apex Yoruba youth organization, is scheduled to hold on July 30th, 2015 at the Western Hall, Secretariat Complex, Ibadan, with the theme“Repositioning Yoruba Youth for Greater Prosperity: A new Agenda”.
President of OYC, Ogbeni Moronkeji Oladapo speaking with journalists in Lagos on Monday, disclosed that Segun Oshinowo, Director General of Nigerian Employers Consultative Association, NECA; and Dipo Famakinwa, Director General of the DAWN Commission are also guest speakers at the conference which will draw over 1,000 select Yoruba youths from across the south-west region of the country.
He said further that while Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state will be the Chief Host and his wife slated as the Mother of the Day, all the south-west Governors and other leaders are expected at the historic event.
Oladapo noted that, in line with the group’s core objectives of empowering young people socio-economically, promote youth civic engagement, and contribute to a prosperous and peaceful Yoruba land, this year’s conference will provide the Yoruba youths and the leaders the much needed platform to do a more critical appraisal of the current challenges facing the youths of our region and proffer practical and sustainable solutions.
He disclosed that the conference will also serve as a Launchpad for various OYC’s empowerment programmes in the areas of Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship, Civic Engagement, Creative Arts, and Sports, all designed to effectively address those critical challenges facing Yoruba youths and develop their capacity to become agents of change.
Stressing the OYC’s determination to tackle the pervasive culture of inertia among our youths, he said “most of our youths get into adulthood with total ignorance on matters of individual responsibilities and proper participation in processes that affect their well-being, this has to change.
“We have some innovative reengagement initiatives to develop and nurture orientation needed to ensure Yoruba youths learn responsibility and accountability. Some of these we will unveil at the conference”.
He called on well meaning Yoruba sons and daughters to support Oodua Youths Congress in its quests to change the lot of Yoruba youth for the better.
He said that “there has never been a better time to invest in well designed youth empowerment programmes that aligns with the present realities because the youth are tomorrow’s leaders and if appropriate opportunities are made available to put their natural endowment to creative and productive channels, they are indeed capable of making us all proud”.
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