26th March, 2012
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has launched the Young Commonwealth Competition and Project Do Something Positive for Nigeria.
This is part of the 2012 Commonwealth Day Celebration held at Bosol College in Aboru area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
The project represents a national call for all Nigerians, both home and abroad to look inward and contribute positively in one way or the other to the development of the nation.
The project is expected to shift the focus of Nigerians from negative tendencies to positive engagement in national development, from focusing on government to personal involvement in nation building.
Launching the project, Adefulire said the state government was committed to the improvement of the standard of education at all levels in the state, adding that this had become inevitable considering that education is the bedrock of socio-economic and political development of a nation.
The deputy governor, who was represented by one of her aides, Mojisola Ashade appealed to students to take advantage of the Young Commonwealth competition to display their academic excellence.
According to her, “as the project, Do Something Positive for Nigeria is being launched, I call on all Nigerians to embrace this medium and do something positive for our dear country.”
The National Coordinator, Commonwealth Youth Organisation, Mr. Blackson Bayewumi said findings on the desires of young people in Nigeria showed that they needed functional education, stay healthy, raise healthy families, to be leaders in their countries, participate in policy formulation, implementation and decision making process and be employed or be self-employed.
He appealed to Nigerian youths to aspire to be visionary leaders rather than being ambitionary leaders, adding that “we should all desire to be an inventor or innovator of solution to our challenges and make our world better one.
According to him, in order to make the world better, youths must contribute positively to nation building and national development.
“With recent development, present generation of Nigerians is saddled with nation’s challenges, such as kidnapping, bombing, violence, energy crises, infrastructural decay, electoral crises, insecurity, among others.
“It is essential that rather than total dependence on government, Nigerians must embrace the culture of value added citizenship at achieving sustainable development. That is, every Nigerian must change and contribute positively in one way or the other to the development of the nation.
“This will send a clear signal to the government that citizens are ready and government should act accordingly. It is on this note that the national re-orientation project to be known as Do Something Positive for Nigeria is initiated,” he stated.
According to him, the project would encourage Nigerians to embark on something positive towards transforming the nation and making the country a better one, adding that the project would periodically showcase those who had done something positive for the country and encourage others in this regard.
Proprietor, Mcoy Comprehensive College, Mr. Emmanuel Oyewole said about 50 schools belonged to the Education Reformers Association of Nigeria, aimed at eradicating corruption malpractices in the nation’s education system.
Activities carried out to mark the Commonwealth Day were quiz competition among schools, cultural dance, drama, among others.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga