The Future Awards Symposium For Young & Emerging Leaders

The Symposium on governance and leadership holds on March 19 & 20 – with the main event taking place on March 19 at the Shell Hall of the Muson Centre, Lagos and the Headline Speaker is Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank Vice-President for Africa. The theme for the Symposium has also been updated to “The Challenge of Responsible Governance: How Can This Generation Do Better?”
The CWC has also announced this week that there is a Day 2. The second day is a special session hosted by EnoughisEnough (EiE) Nigeria – to review the recent calls across the country for a National Conference and profile the perspectives of young leaders across the country to these calls. Attendance is voluntary for participants.

Documents being compiled and that will be available for people to read are:

1) The 1960 Constitution

2) The Willink Commission Report – concerns of ethnic minorities in the lead up to independence

3) The 1963 Constitution (all four – one for federal, one for each region)

4) The alternative constitution authored by Olisa Agbakoba (SAN)

5) Constitutional Amendment Report delivered under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration

6) The Justice Mohammed Uwais Report

7) The Trouble with Nigeria by Chinua Achebe.

""Good Governance is equitable, inclusive, transparent, and must have a law guiding it.Corruption along with weak institutions has dragged the country down economically,We can disagree but collaborate to solve our problems, the era of the single-person activism is over!It is those willing to pay the price of change that now and The future belongs to there is a strong link between good governance and strong economic stability" Obiageli Ezekwesili

"When you look at the 'oil wealth' of the economy in relation to the quality of life of people, a poor nation is what you see,In 2010 Tourists in the State of New Jersey (US) spent $36bn, Nigeria's reserve at the time: $38bn. Are we rich?, In making a change, Young and Emerging Leaders must state clear objectives and a simple message, We can disagree but collaborate to solve our problems, the era of the single-person activism is over. The greatest lesson in life is if we would stoop down we would learn not from learned men, but from ignorant children." (Mahatma Ghandi),The engagement of youth in governance has to be long drawn to bring the desired change sought after."- Obiageli Ezekwesili

watch live on ynaija >> http://ynaija.com/live/

Gov Kayode Fayemi on-going speech

The Challenge Of Responsible Leadership: How Can A Successor-Generation Do Better?

Let me express profound gratitude for the privilege of being asked to speak at this year’s Future Award’s Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders. As an abiding sceptic of flagellating awards, especially awards that were not based on any clearly articulated, independently verifiable scientific grounds – the type that has become so commonplace in Nigeria, I found The Future Awards a rare exception and I have been a long-standing admirer of its celebration of young achievers in various spheres over the years because of its rigour that accompanies its search and recognition of individual talent. Yet while individual talent is a major pre-requisite in the moulding of leaders, I am even more excited that The Future Awards has now decided to deepen its engagement of the next generation of leaders in a number of ways beyond the recognition of the heroic individual – influencing national leadership outcomes; determining leadership needs for national development and creating a networking platform to drive leadership projects.

The organisers asked me to offer a perspective from the inside on how to stand out from the crowd – particularly in the moulding of a successor-generation. Knowing that you are mostly cynical about those on the ‘inside’ and my interaction with some of you show that you are extremely disappointed about the turn of events in our country, I guess I am already at a disadvantage trying to convince you about the relationship between power and leadership. So, what I am going to speak to are essentially the reflections of an accidental politician – in the hope that the emergent inter-generational dialogue may produce tangible outcomes, particularly in the making of new leaders and the building of a successor generation. Politics, if you believe the word on the street, is a dirty game. And many people always ask politicians the same question: Why, with all the opportunities in this world that could perhaps earn one considerable social, financial and personal security, would anyone want to go into something like politics, particularly in a setting as dangerous as Nigeria? Politicians are often seen to be janus-faced – on the one hand, charismatic, visionary, fascinating and sophisticated, and on the other, repulsive, cynical, calculating, venal and opportunistic. My own interest is really not to indulge in any deep philosophical or academic arguments about these claims today, many of which you are familiar with but to simply explore – based on my limited experience, the possibilities of harmony in this pseudo-dichotomy – to explain that this pattern of categorizing people is at best a luxury, and at worst irrelevant in our own setting. Indeed, my own experience and my fundamental thesis in this presentation is that where the younger generation is not political, there can be no public service and the State runs the risk of decay and illegitimacy.

http://ekitistate.gov.ng/2012/03/the-challenge-of-responsible-leadership-how-can-a-successor-generation-do-better/

Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men." Prof Pat Utomi quoting President Barack Obama

"If you try to change corruption,it would change you.Try to find out what breeds corruption and tackle it." - Gov Rotimi Amaechi

"As a nation we've ended up building strong individuals not strong institutions" - Kola Oyeneyin

"I believe in dreaming big but starting small, just start with whatever you have",We need to be upset enough to stand up for change in this country - Banky W

We all need to get involved in government relations because in the end, the policies affect all of us." - Biola Alabi

Day 1 Final Session: " Driving Change From Outside: How To Drive A Genuine Agenda"

"Journalists must keep their integrity if they hope to influence the government with their reports",The first thing in leading a change is to develop yourself."- Dele Momodu

"To be agents, we must be willing to work as young people even if it means working for free." Ndidi Nwunel

This event to me is RUBBISH ---- How can you invite the Youth Minister, Bolaji Abudallhi and not ask questions regarding his New NYSC policies and initiatives...... Just HUNGRY youths looking for contracts/ awards/ access to the political realm.


The Justice Mohammed Uwais Report - read this report and you know what exactly is the problem because NONE of it has been implemented.