IN MY PRINCIPAL'S SHOES

“Good morning madam” greeted the JSS 2 Class of Sophia Group of schools. “Good morning students. You may have your seat.” said the young principal. “What do you have now?” she asked in impeccable English. “Business studies” the students chorused. “Good. Go and call your teacher.” And with those words, 12-years old Nellie Egun walked off to another class. As part of her responsibilities as a principal, she was making her morning rounds to the various classes to ensure that activities are going as smoothly as they should.

Twelve years old Nelli Egun was awarded the school super-hero of Sophia Academy after emerging winner of the weekly school quiz competition that was held for the term. One of her prizes included serving as the first one-day principal of the school. Asking about her experience as a student in a principal’s shoe, she says “It has been fun. This morning I made some announcements on the assembly and went round the classes to ensure that things are going smoothly.” To be an outstanding student in all ramifications, Nellie encourages her peers to be current about what is going on in the society. “Read wide and read newspapers in order to be up to date and knowledgeable about general issues.” She said.

For Mrs. Dupe Ajayi, the Principal of Sophia Group of schools, the idea of awarding super-hero to students every term is to encourage them to sit up and be competent in every field of knowledge. “We do this by engaging them in healthy competitions called who wants to be a hero. The quiz covers their curriculum as well as current affairs.”

“The first super-hero is not just an excellent student in academics but also an excellent student morally and in other areas of life. From our record, everything about Nellie stands her out, thus other students are encouraged to emulate her and conduct themselves well because leadership is something you work for and not something you steal.”

She encouraged the Nigerian students to fear God in order to walk in wisdom. On the challenges of today’s education system, Mrs. Ajayi said “The only challenge we have now is that there is no much emphasis on moral studies. In our days moral study was an important aspect of our curriculum. We need to return to our first love which is the love of God. Our curriculum is faulty because we are trying to copy others when we don’t have the right infrastructure. The government needs to start looking inward and stop talking from the two sides of their mouth when implementing new policies.”

I am not joking Mr. John.

The article “Bag a degree and an impressive work experience!” published 17th May stirred up interesting reaction from readers. While some said that the concept of Holiday Job is foreign, others argued that it does exist in Nigeria but with limited opportunities. As depicted by this text message: Holiday jobs? Where? In Nigeria ? I beg spare me. I just read your column and girl, you really must be joking- John.

I promised John that I will dedicate this week’s column to replying his text (I hope he reads this). However, this reply is based on my research to find out what other young Nigerians thought about the subject of discourse. Do they also believe holiday job does not exist in Nigeria ? Are there opportunities to engage young people? Are they embracing these opportunities?

Sandra O.: Holiday jobs do not really exist in Nigeria compared to the developed countries. I’m on holiday right now and have searched for holiday jobs but can’t find any.

Stephen Oguntoyinbo: Holiday jobs exist but the Nigerian factor is what hoards it. It is about “who knows who”, thus this makes the concept seemingly unrealistic. Most young people don’t really get the opportunity to work in an organization so they resort to doing odd jobs, such as business center, during their holidays.

Jide Jinadu: Our culture does not encourage holiday job. Moreover, there are shortages of jobs and employers only want employees on long-term basis. But if students are willing to work for the experience without salary, then employers will be motivated to employ them. I believe holiday job is a good way of keeping young people occupied. The experience they gain will expand their capacity and knowledge for life.

Adelola Osunkojo: Holiday job exist. These days lecturers even encourage students to embrace such opportunities, at least mine did. You don’t necessarily have to look for a 9am-5pm white-collar job. You can engage yourself by modeling, ushering, or other areas of art. These jobs are not regularly available so you must search for them. What else do you want to do with your youth? Youth is learning how to survive and be financially independent. Holiday jobs give youths the opportunity not only to earn a living but gain experience, build to their self-esteem, CV and add to their swagger.

Maranatha Ajir: I do holiday job to gain experience and earn money. But there are only few opportunities available and people who get these opportunities are those that have connection. So if you are not in the system or know someone who is, no holiday job for you! However, your performance while carrying out your task matters. A good performance opens more doors, but a poor performance shuts the door to future opportunities.

Need I say more? Holiday jobs exist in Nigeria . It is left for young people to search them out and engage themselves positively! And No! I am not joking Mr. John. Living in Nigeria is no limitation.

Bag a degree and an impressive work experience!

My niece came home the other day, brimming with excitement as she screamed “We will soon start our exams and afterwards go on holiday!” Well, for a primary school age school kid, holiday brings an exciting freedom with lots of opportunities to have fun until school term calls again. But it is different when you are in college because most holidays are spent carrying out different school-related projects or working.

The beauty about taking up after-high-school job and holiday jobs during your college years is that by the time you graduate from the university, you would have bagged a degree as well as the minimum years of work experience required by most prospective employers or to start your own business enterprise.

A couple of months ago, my daydream of taking a trip to the Caribbean or somewhere as interesting to feel the wind blow through my hair, while recuperating after the physical and psychological stress of being a student, was interrupted by a job offer right after graduating from college. So while some of my peers were job-hunting, I was already in the field putting into practice what I learned in the four walls of the ivory tower. I won’t say I was so fortunate because I was academically conscientious but the opportunity was created from the chain of work experience I built maximizing my potential through holiday jobs.

After graduating from high school, I took up different Jobs while awaiting admission into the University. It was not so chic then, but for me it was an exciting trend that I kept up while in college. However, I consciously made an effort to only embrace opportunities that were in tune with my area of interest. For example, there was no point working as a make-up artist when I had no interest in the fashion business.

The holiday jobs provided me avenues to engage myself positively, learn new things, shape my perspective about life, build my character and network to broaden my sphere of influence. The work I enjoyed most is the one that employed my talent and innovative ideas and in the process challenged my norms and increased my knowledge. There were some that had depressing working conditions and rarely encouraged my active participation but all the same they all gave me a complete education.

In this age of global competitiveness, obtaining a degree from university alone has become inconsequential as a parameter for finding or creating an ideal job. You need to have good knowledge and competent experience to be seen as an asset by a prospective employer. Taking up holiday job is not synonymous to truancy or shirking your responsibilities as a student, thus the need to strive for a good result as well as a pleasant work experience. At the end, your CV/Resume will not only standout, the experience will also help you discover your place of comparative advantage in the marketplace.

THEY BURNT THE NIGHTCLUB!

“This is an unusual place to hold a youth empowerment event.” I whispered to the lady standing beside me, who nodded in affirmative. The venue was O2 Nightclub on Sanusi Fafunwa street, Victoria Island; time-check, 9pm and Yes, many youths were already trouping into the club, oblivious of what was would happen that night; The event was FR:2 (Fashion revolution reloaded) by Kowry Kreation media.

According to young Aderemi Adegbite, the programme was initiated to provide a platform for young and promising Entrepreneurs to showcase their innate creative talents which would revive the mainstream of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Nigeria and in the process inspire other young people to change their perception of believing that engaging in frivolous activities or traveling abroad is the opium of life.

As I sat in the nightclub-cum-event hall, among other equally empowered youths yearning to inspire their peers and mingle with those who were ready to take up the challenge, I observed how keen the participants were, thanks to the boldness of a generation willing to stretch themselves farther in order to salvage the future without compromise.

Indeed, it has become very crucial for more youth organizations to adopt innovative approach in addressing issues affecting young people through a channel that will effectively reach their target audience. For example, Aderemi’s concern about the inability of youths to transform their innate talents to make profound contributions towards development inspired him to create a platform (fashion show) where young people succeeding in the industry can inspire their peers.

Herbay Stitches, who designs Denrele Edun’s clothes; Buga Fash of University of Lagos; and Allen Culture, a distinctive designer from Olabisi Onabanjo University were some of the young and vibrant designers selected to showcase their work on the runway. No, they didn’t make any elaborate speech, but only showcased their work for their actions to speak for them.

Aside these designers, other young creative talents added colors to the event. Sage Hasson performed spokenwords, Ibiyemi thrilled the audience with her songs and Laff-up got the audience falling off their seats with his rib cracking jokes. The music by Labogini, a new face on the block, also got a loud accolade for his performance.

Hopefully, the young people who attended the event returned home in the early hours of the morning inspired with a stronger conviction that they too can dig deep into their innate talents and transform it into entrepreneurship. Although some guys and girls complained that their business as usual at the nightclub was disrupted, as if the nightclub was burnt down, I believe it was for a good cause. They definitely will see that spot through a new eyes when next they visit, and lets see if they can resist the urge to go do something and impact their world positively.

WORDS FROM DIS GENERATION READERS (The Column on The Nation Newspaper)

I’ll like to share with you some of the comment/text sent in by readers. I’m usually excited to receive such messages which serve as a feedback mechanism or a medium of appraisal for the column. Be it to criticize, share ideas or experiences, feel free to always keep in touch. Dis generation remains an active platform and voice for youths and the young at heart!



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Re: The Heart beat of Nigeria

I commend you in regards to your publication “Dis generation” dated February 22nd 2009 . There are many youths being deceived and tricked that they will be traveling by flight but end up trekking.



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Hi Jennifer, I just read your piece on the Nation. Nice hairstyle. It reminds me of Monica. Nice piece though. Kudos! Nentawe



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Re: The Heart beat of Nigeria

Jenny, thanks for your wonderful write-up. The Value of parenthood has actually depreciated in our society, with Edo ’s case as a reference.



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You are doing a great work but I should think you need to change your hair outlook. This one is a little bit… don’t forget you are a mentor. Thank you.

Dr. Dosunmu



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Re: Schizophrenia

Jennifer, Youths should be encouraged to avoid drug abuse and to obey God’s law. Thanks. Mr. S.O Igwe.



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Hello emerging leader, you are doing a great job. Keep it up! I know that our generation will make Nigeria what it should be. More grace to your elbow.

Arisa Chinedu, Youngstar foundation Displayer, Abia State .



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Hello Jennifer, your hair style is unique considering the trends and changes we now have in modern style and fashion…

Mr. Ige Aruya



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Hi, I want to tell you I really enjoy your articles. What you talk about is really “Sine qua non”. Kudos!

DOES GOOGLE KNOW YOU?

If you are one of Mr. Fela Durotoye’s fans who keenly follow his inspiring and motivational teachings, then you must have noticed that lately he doesn’t end his presentation without mentioning the importance of being known by Google. Actually, the first time I heard this, I was flabbergasted by the concept but after listening to his explanation on two different occasions, I couldn’t help but respect his idea, which is not as frivolous as it sounds. He believes that Google actually can be used as a yardstick for measuring people’s relevance or impact.

Google is a search engine that helps people find stuff on the internet. It knows something about everything that exists online. When you type in your key word appropriately on the search tool, it zooms off to fetch back related results- from text to images. The inspiring thing about the origin of Google is that it started off in 1996 as a research project by two students of Stanford University- Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who wanted to change the way people search the internet. Today, Google has become a world celebrated phenomenon. “As we go forward, I hope we‘re going to continue to use technology to make really big difference in how people live and work” said Sergey Brin.

From Mr. Durotoye’s perspective, Google has gone beyond just being a research tool for finding Essay topics or raw materials for Thesis. You can actually unmask people and learn about the “who is who” locally or globally by searching for their name on Google. In a nutshell, it is like a yardstick for measuring people’s impact or relevance. For example, I received a call from someone who sounded too grandeur to be true. Google searching for his name actually brought back no result. This confirmed what I suspected all along- he is phony! Or how can Google not know such a prominent (as he claimed) person in one of Nigeria ’s leading oil companies?

The internet has a way of archiving every single thing recorded online as a cached item, and it is the search engine’s business to dig it out. Now we have one more reason to watch our activities online because there is nothing hidden under Google. Moreover, one cannot tell when it will stop being “Does Google know you?” into becoming “What does Google know about you?” and then, employers of labor and other related officers will start using it as a means to checkout their prospective employee or people they deal with.

In this technology age that breeds global connectedness, the Google experience has become more pronounced. “Some say Google is a god. Others say Google is Satan. But if they think Google is too powerful, remember that with search engines unlike other companies all it takes is a single click to go to another search engine.” Said one of the Google founders.

EASTER CRUNCHARAMA

With News about the global Economic Meltdown showing sign of little improvement, it is obvious that Easter celebration will involve less spending as most people have over the past months curbed their spending habit. Traders are complaining bitterly about hesitant frugal spending of people while buyers are complaining about the way they have lost their purchasing power due to the drastic inflation of price of goods and services.

Taking a cue from BBC’s Educational Cruncharama project that seeks young people’s opinion on what they think about the current global financial crisis, I interviewed some youths from different parts of Nigeria to find out how their level of Easter celebration is affected by this global phenomenon. There is a cut in pocket-money, no employment opportunity or temporary job placement for youths who would like to work during Easter holidays etc. Is the effect seemingly the same for all youths despite their economic or cultural background? Who is not affected?

Timothy Oghene, Asaba Delta: As a Christian, I’m taking out time to reflect on the significance of Easter despite the financial crisis and key into the anointing and life given by the power of Christ’s resurrection. I will share this hope with others by encouraging them to come back to life no matter the stumbling block imposed on them. I’m taking time out to visit the Old people’s home in Asaba and just associate with them. You don’t need money to celebrate Easter so the global financial crunch is not affecting me because my celebration is not materialistic.

Chinwe Oguamanm, Abuja: How can I be affected by the global Economic crunch? I’m having a positive Easter celebration. I’m going for a youth camp organized by my Church in Jos and we are going to have fun. The financial recession is not affecting my level of celebration by God’s grace. In fact, this recession has made me richer than I was before.

Williams Iwuoha, Enugu: I will be traveling to Owerri to spend the Easter holiday with my Aunty instead of coming to Lagos where I’m bound to spend more. The cost of things are high and even dollar exchange rate is so ridiculous. We are forced to celebrate this Easter in low-key.

Dada Oyindamola, Lagos: From what I have been hearing from the news, the economic meltdown started from America and being the strongest country in the world, whatever affects them affects the world. However, I’m not going to allow the financial crisis affect my Easter which is going to be celebrated in a bigger way than last year.

Ayodele Samuel, Lagos: Celebrating Easter is a little bit tedious this year because the global financial recession has recessed my pocket. There is no money to buy new clothes. I’m cutting down on my spending by 50%. Last Easter, I traveled out of the country to Benin Republic but this year I can only afford to travel to Ogbomoso for the holiday- so you can see the difference.