Forever Brings Entrepreneurial Education to the Grassroots
With the youth population in Nigeria exploding, occasioned by unemployment and its overwhelming implications; it is obvious we need a total turnaround if we are to make headway.
Forever Living Products (FLP), a health, wellness and beauty company is one of the multinationals with the focus on shaping the entrepreneurial mind-set of the Nigerian youth.
Through its annual summit tagged “Forever Youth Summit”, the company created a platform where successful businessmen and captains of industry share their experience, expertise and advice with the youths with the singular objective of consciously building in them a mind-set that will focus less on white-collar jobs but think deep down to explore the creative and entrepreneurial potentials in them.
FLP Nigeria Country Sales Manager, Mr. Daniel Ikechukwu, who recalled the infrastructural decays bedeviling Nigeria, however implored Nigerian youths to see the opportunities that abound within this same environment and align this with their innate potentials and creativity so that they can as youths, build the Nigeria of their dreams.
As a keynote speaker, Chairman, Board of Directors, First Bank Nigeria Plc. Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, charged Nigerian youths to apply their talents and skills to build the nation, describing nation building as a national service.
She said: “When people work collectively, you make a difference. Our youths have abundance of energy and passion to create value, and with discipline you will utilise the opportunities you see.
“Every challenge in Nigeria is an opportunity. In whatever venture you choose, you must understand that the bottom of the pyramid should be the target point of the population.
“Don’t aim for the big businesses, rather start small and get the chance to prove your assumptions, and in all circumstances, do the right thing, consistently.”
The President, Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, CON, in this own words said “If I were a youth here now, I wouldn’t find a better place to be born besides Nigeria that provides me an unprecedented opportunity to show my skill.
“Any little thing anybody does here will be a success. Many people think that Europe is the easiest environment for business. I say, no, the opportunities are now here”.
Maduka revealed that success in business is based on three principles – Vision, Faith and Courage.
“With a strong vision comes criticism by naysayers. Again, don’t think that your vision must manifest in your lifetime. Your vision might be accomplished far after you are gone.
“Example, the vision of Martin Luther King Jnr. was fulfilled when Barack Obama became the first black American President of the United States”, he added.
Meanwhile, visiting Vice President, Africa, Forever Living Products, Jean-Baptiste Amichia, said the Nigerian youth had two main pillars to their advantage: education and knowledge of technology.
He said: “the correlation between growth and culture in Nigeria are very powerful. When you add technology and culture, you have something very unique.
“With these the Nigerian youth can withstand any growth for agriculture and for finance. In Forever, we aim to get people to think and look good, and we have the products for all. This opportunity can give them low capital intensive profile so they can start out a business with low capital and grow very fast”.
He however encouraged them to build their business on values.
The Forever Youth Summit 2.0 was a three-day event and featured so many other speakers/youth entrepreneurs like Ezekiel Solesi, Nkem Agboti, very young and vibrant Forever business owners who seized the Forever Business Opportunity to showcase what they have been able to achieve.
The summit also showcased all the tools that youths can use to build a business of the 21st century as the summit ended with a vote of thanks by the Country Sales Manager who urged Nigerians to look forward to the third Edition of the summit as Forever Living rolls out a mentorship programme for youths interested in changing their lives.