Hi Guys,

I saw this and had to share.

Please review this from Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and then re-assess your position on him. Please be objective.

Introducing The Council For Youth Empowerment
By Nasir, June 22, 2010 3:08 pm

Nigeria won't grow rich with what's under our ground but will with what's between our ears.
Dear Friends,

Sometime ago on this blog and on my facebook fan page I wrote that Nigeria will never grow rich by what is under the ground rather wealth will come by what is between Nigerian’s ears.

In an effort to build entrepreneurial skills in Nigerian youths I want to institute a body to empower the youth of Nigeria. To this end, I have set up a Council For Youth Empowerment to be Headed by Berkeley Trained MBA – Otto Abasi Williams. The Council, which is completely independent of Malam Nasir El Rufai, other than being my brain child, will determine winning business proposals from the contest and empower Nigerian youths with my personal funds.

Membership of the Council includes: The Chair: Otto Williams who has an MBA from the University of California in Berkeley and has passed through the Haas school of Business. Pastor Mike Iyoke, a Youth Pastor and head of Michael Iyoke Ministries based in Benin. Pastor Iyoke is also a lawyer with 10 years post call experience. Also on the Council is Malam Salihu Lukman, a Nigerian reformist and youth enthusiast.

On my facebook page, and my blog http://www.nasirschronicles.com/ they are announcing a contest for Nigerian youths to send in proposals for a Small and Medium Scale Enterprise that they want to start up. Please send proposals to councilforyouthempowerment@yahoo.com. Do make sure to include your full names and a day time phone number. There are no conditions other than that the idea be original and the participants must be Nigerian citizens living in Nigeria with business ideas designed to be implemented in Nigeria.

The winning bid as well as the second runner up will each receive $5,000 from me. It is my intention to help rebuild the fading principle of innovation by demonstrating to Nigerians youths that they will never grow rich by what is under the ground but by what is between their ears.

Members of the council will as part of the initiative offer free consultancy services to youths with the winning bids. Council members will visit the business locations physically and Consultancy services would be continued until the business venture moves from the start up stage to the stage when it is stable and profitable.

The winning bids will be announced in the month of July 2010 on my facebook page, my blog as well as on the Nigerian print and electronic media.

Malam Nasir El Rufai

This is the season for Nigerian youth to take up leadership positions and do away with all these old recycled people that can best be descried as dead woods. While these old people were in power riding rough-shod on all of us, none of them could think of such a brlliant idea as this.

We need many more of Nasirs in our midst and in no time lives would be better for many Nigerians.

Kudos to you, Nasir!

My take on Nasir is that he has been actively trying to bridge the gap between North and South. His language is extremely moderate, and progressive. He seems to be asking the right questions about our country. Refreshing is what I say

A man with a good heart for the country