Imparting Knowledge to Okija Youths
In Okija, a border community in Anambra State, David-Chyddy Eleke reports that the elites in the community utilised the Yuletide to impart knowledge to its youths
For two weeks, within the period preceding the Christmas and New Year celebrations, an elite club made up of scholars, top business moguls, accomplished professionals in various fields and other successful personalities under the aegis of Okija In-Home Club pooled resources together to train youths of the community in advanced Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.
The youths consisting of graduates, undergraduates and school leavers in Okija community, Ihiala Local Government Area took the training on the behest of Okija In-Home Club, while diverse packages like Google doc, WordPress, frontend, backend and digital marketing were taught the youths by professionals from mainly Accra Ghana; Lagos and Abuja.
Though a little over 40 youths had enrolled for the programme, only 23 were able to remain consistent to the end of the two weeks programme. President of the club, Mr Romanus Igboekwe during a symposium and certificate presentation ceremony said the aim of the training was to give youths in the area the chance to key into the opportunities presented by ICT to better their lives. He lamented that such a life-changing opportunity was only embraced by a few people. This is apparently because a bulk of the youths see the Christmas and New Year period as a time to enjoy themselves and not time to learn.
True to this, as THISDAY drove past the streets of Okija towards the venue of the event; Legacy University, it was obvious that celebration was in the air. The streets were overflowing with humans, while beer parlours along the roads were all equally over crowded. Masquerades were seen in every corner and once in a while, the crowd of gaily dressed children, youths and women broke into a race. This was usually when the masquerades chased them. They ran furiously away from the masquerades, but with laughter - which was a sign that they enjoyed the chase.
But at Legacy University, Okija, a programme that was billed for 12noon snowballed into 2pm when it eventually kicked off, because of poor attendance. Not minding the delay, the event was eventually attended by youths, most of whom were among those trained during programme, while dignitaries, consisting of members of elite of the community were on hand to spur the newly trained youths with their own stories of rag-to-riches.
Igboekwe, the president of Okija In-Home Club said the club has been consistently training youths of the community as part of its contribution to the growth of its indigenes, just as it has for over five years sponsored the payment of Senior School Certificate Examination for bright indigent students.
Chairman occasion, Dr Akachukwu Nwankpo, a former aide to former president of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Johnathan described ICT knowledge as very fundamental in every youth, hence the need for the training. He said, "Last year I mentioned that it is something that is worthy. I have been here (in the community) and have gone from village to village and there is a serious drift of the kind of discourse we should have here. But I believe that with trainings like this, the orientation among youths of the community will change."
One of the sponsors of the programme, Dr John Erinne when reacting to the lackluster attitude of youths to learning, which was a reason the streets were clustered with masquerading youths than in the programme, said, "We do not need a crowd. What we are doing here is serious business, and you can not bring people here by force to participate. The youths we have here are very dedicated and willing to learn, and within two weeks, we have taught them. This programme has been on for years now. So, we use this period to bring youths who are interested in learning, teach them and get them to become better people in the society."
He said the club does this as its own way of giving back to the society that made them. "We are all from this society, and we have professionals in various fields here. We can not do anything than to sponsor trainings like this for our people. We believe that they will take advantage of the ICT as a leading sector in the world to better their lives."
One of the trainers of the youths, Mrs Vivian Onwuatuelo, an ICT expert from MEST AFRICA, Accra Ghana, a leading ICT company in Africa praised the club for its initiative. She stated that the Yuletide was a time when youths indulged over-celebration, but bringing back their minds to a noble venture like skills in ICT was commendable.
Beneficiaries of the programme were also full of praise for the organisers. Chinyere Ohachosim, a WordPress and frontend trainee of the programme praised the club and the humaneness of their lecturers.
She said, "God used our sister, Vivian to help youths in the community, such that it can help us to run away from carrying files around looking for jobs. We are not experts now, but we can leverage this to go places. I have a flair for ICT and I teach computer in school, so I used the Okija In-Home club training to update myself.”