Over 100 Attend 1st TEDxMinna Conference
The first mindset changing event tagged TEDxMinna to identify members of the community with like minds and have the development of the community held in Minna yesterday.
The event which had about 100 physical participants also had thousands of followers on various social media platforms.
Participants were enlightened by eminent speakers from different sectors of the economy on how to better the community and change the present norms.
A speaker, a lawyer and chartered administrator, arbitrator and mediator, Barr. Fatimah Dattijo Muhammad, said the opportunity she had to speak at the event gave her a platform to rebase herself and be taken as representative of Niger State in her chosen career.
She said she was at the event
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, yesterday charged troops of Operation Sahel Sanity to deal with bandits and other criminals ruthlessly, adding that the military would not give a breathing space to criminals.
Buratai who spoke at the Army’s Super Camp in Faskari LGA of Katsina State during a visit to assess the ongoing Operation Sahel Sanity in the North-west said the military had the capacity to deal with bandits and restore law and order in the North-west and Nigeria by extension.
He appealed to the general public to stop shielding suspected criminals, saying they would one day turn against the very people shielding them.
“The sooner people stopped shielding these criminals, the better we get all the security challenges in our societies resolved. Notwithstanding we have improved in the art of our intelligence gathering and people are becoming more supportive. That is why we were able to make dozens of arrests of the suspected criminals.
“If the people are in doubt as to whether they should exposed the criminals living among them, they should feel free. The criminals will turn against their brothers and acquaintances one day. They (criminals) move around and for our societies to be secured they should be exposed,” he said.
On the progress of Operation Sahel Sanity in the Northwest, Buratai said tremendous success had been achieved, adding that gun- running, cattle rustling, kidnapping had been considerably tamed in the region. to motivate young women and youths, adding that she captured what a young women in the northern part of the country is.
“Young people need growth, platform to grow and supporters to encourage them. These things are important for the youth to achieve their desired objectives. I love to be part of the programme from time to time,” she said.
Other speakers also spoke on care for people with special needs, everyday people with an exception, how to save the world on less than a dollar a day, corruption and safety nests in Nigeria, hydrovolution: drawing inspiration from water molecules, going beyond perceived boundary, rice more than just a meal among others.
Speaking on the theme of the event, ‘Changing Mindsets’, the Curator, TedXMinna, Mr. Sulaiman Isah, said the organizers believed that their communal issues were not infrastructure or leadership or financial issues but issues of how people think.
Isah who thanked God on the attendance both physically and virtually described it as a huge success for the first time.
“Being the first one, the turnout is encouraging. We will see how to improve on it as we planned to make it an annual event. Every year there would be new innovations on the programme. We will study this year’s programme after the event and see what is needed in the community to plan the next one in line with such needs,”
Isah said.
Highlights of the event included a dance and drumming performance by a 10-year-old boy, and an exhibition by various sponsors including Daily Trust as well as screening for breast and cervical cancers. Daily Trust was recognized with a presentation of awards alongside other sponsors.