Foundation UrgesYouths to Decide their Future

Hamid Ayodeji

The Stephen Akintayo Foundation has organised a forum in Lagos, where youths were advised to decide their future by themselves.

At the event, the speakers stressed the need for Nigerians to be conscious of developments in their societies and to live up to their responsibilities as followers.

The founder of the foundation, Stephen Akintayo, said the forum was organised to ensure that citizens become aware of the fact that it is not solely the responsibility of the government to provide a better economic, social and political system, saying a collaborative effort was required by both the leadership and the followers.

“Also, considering that the forthcoming general elections is almost here, it is expected of people to have gotten their personal voter’s card in other for them to be able to vote for the candidates they believe can bring about development, instead of sitting back doing nothing or selling their votes to corrupt bidders.

“The change we desire in the country begins with us being sincere to ourselves, it begins with us enforcing the change by holding the leaders accountable so they fulfil the promises they made and this has to do with the citizenship participation.

“We as individuals become leaders, so if we are responsible as individuals it is easier for us to become responsible when we become leaders,” Akintayo said.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Imaginarium Global Creative, Ferdinand Ladi-Adimefe said: “There is an institutional framework for driving change and that is politics and governance. Realising this made me rethink advocacy and go into politics by running for the office of Federal House of Representatives, EtiOsa Constituency, Lagos.

“Advocacy, no matter how powerful, is limited. Politics is here, so let us youths participate in it. If we want a society where people can produce, where our entrepreneurs can create, we will need to go back to the education sector and develop it from the primary level to the higher levels; helping our teachers support the creative system and multiple intelligence in children.’’ he added.

Meanwhile, an On Air Personality, Adenike Oyetunde, said she has met people, “who are not willing to change; people that will rather cut off their limbs just to become beggars on the streets, even when everything humanly possible is done to get them a prosthetic leg and empower them; you still find them back on the street begging about two weeks after.