Speeches

“Catch Them Young” Guidance And Career Counselling Programme Organised By Joseph Whensu Hope Alive Foundation (JOWHAF) For Secondary School Students And Teachers In Badagry Local Government Area

Jun 29, 2009 - The challenges facing us as a people in a rapidly evolving global community require the mobilization and harnessing of our human resources, particularly the youths. This one-day Guidance Counseling and Career Talk organized for secondary school students and teachers in Badagry Local Government and the two other Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) is a positive step in the right direction.

I understand that the aim of this event is to prepare our youths in Badagry and its environs through this motivational talk for a Brighter Rewarding Future which has been appropriately tagged “CATCH THEM YOUNG”.

We must begin to nurture our own Wole Soyinkas, Folake Solankes, Ebun Sofundes, Gani Fawehinmis, Chinua Achebes, Dora Akunyilis, Prof. Babs Fafunwas and others that have excelled in their chosen careers. Education liberates the mind, it instills self-confidence in individuals and increases the ability and capability of the individual to participate and contribute meaningfully to its society.

My dear students, I will sincerely enjoin you to avail yourselves of this opportunity provided by the “Joseph Whensu Hope Alive Foundation (JWHOAF).” Remember that one can only force the horse to the river, one cannot force it to drink. As you lay your bed, so you shall lie on it. The future is bright only for those who seize the opportunity now through hard work, well-articulated purpose and discipline.

It is quite commendable that the organizers of this event have included the teachers among the list of the people to be rewarded and motivated. The teaching personnel should continue to perform and be proud of their calling. Everything in life is not about material possession, there is joy in nurturing people; it depends on what you decide to make your priority.

The Bible says “Train your children in the way they should go and when they grow up they will not depart from it.” On this note, I wish to identify with the promoters of “Joseph Whensu Hope Alive Foundation” (JOWHAF) for collaborating with a redoubtable “Son of the Soil”, “Young Man” Sunny Ajose for promoting the vision of our administration in Lagos State to develop the potentials of our youths and channel their dynamism as the needed catalyst to power change in our community.

Our youths must take their education both moral and academic seriously and aspect the fact that knowledge is the best weapon to banish poverty, ignorance, disease, sickness and backwardness

I have said it, before, that Nigeria has a role to play in the development of the World and this is an opportunity for me to talk to the youths directly that you are the key to the future of our community. Our administration has put in place various strategies to challenge and enable our youths to develop their innate potentials and actualize their hearts’ desires.

The basic element required for an individual to be successful in life is education, formal and informal, and our administration has continued to provide basic tools such as renovation of infrastructure in the educational sector, provision of instructional materials, curriculum development to prepare our youths for the employment market, as well as, to become wealth creators and capacity building programmes for the teachers, who will serve as mentors for our youths.

The future belongs to you, therefore, I urge you to make the best use of every opportunity open to you to develop your innate talents by exposing yourselves to all forms of academic and intellectual pursuits because whatever knowledge you acquire at this stage of your life will be useful to you later in life. Your minds, at this stage of your development are flexible and impressionable; therefore, imbibe positive knowledge that will stand you out in your community and among your peers.

I am sure that some of you will have represented your various schools at the recently revived Schools Debate Competition which was concluded a few days ago. The essence of reviving the Schools Debate Competition is to enable you to develop your communication skills and acquire a lifelong talent that will serve you well in the future.

I urge you, the youths of the historic community of Badagry to be morally upright in the acquisition of knowledge. In a rapidly evolving global community, that is built on technological development including the Internet, there is the tendency for you, the youths to be exposed to “culture shock” and you may start to imitate foreign social attitudes or trends that are not in line with our cultural values all in the name of “fashion or trend setting”.

It is your responsibility to set a target for yourselves and focus your mind on achieving your targets. Do not allow yourselves to be distracted by the urge to acquire material wealth without the substance to justify such acquisition. I am sure that there are notable persons of unimpeachable character, either as professionals, teachers, civil or public servants, community leaders and sports personalities within the Badagry Community whose lifestyles you can emulate and which will inspire you to rise above your academic, physical and social limitations and say emphatically “Yes I Can!”.

I am challenging you, the youths of Badagry Community, to make use of the various opportunities open to you for academic, intellectual and physical development and make your families, friends and peer group proud of you by placing the map of Badagry in a prominent position of global achievement through your positive contributions individually and collectively and the organization of this Guidance Counseling and Career Talk Programme should be seen as the first step in a journey of one thousand kilometers.

Once again, I congratulate the promoters of Joseph Whensu Hope Alive Foundation (JOWHAF) for collaborating in the organization of this laudable programme with a “son of the soil” and a supportive, as well as, active member of our administration “Young Man” Akinsanya Sunny Ajose whose wealth of knowledge and experience in the public service and governance has been of invaluable assistance to our administration in the development of policies and programmes for the benefit of everybody in Lagos State.

Thank you all for your attention and God bless.

Eko O Ni Baje O!

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Executive Governor,
Lagos State