As part of its activities towards mentoring teenagers and setting them on the right career path, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Oyo State chapter, on Monday commenced mentorship on career choices for public school students in secondary schools across Ibadan metropolis, to broaden their horizon and allow them make right choices about career and life.
The one- week Teenage Career and Health Summer program 2022 themed “Being young is an asset which has over 1500 public school students across Ibadan as participants, is a collaborative effort between Oyo NAWOJ and Focus counseling,, an arm of FOCAD Global Concepts.
The program which is being held at the school hall of the Ibadan Grammar School, Molete affords participants to link up with their peers from Lagos and Ogun State simultaneously while they are mentored by 21 notable speakers, given rudiments of basic health and preventive training as well as getting exposure to decision taking techniques and games that build their ability to reason logically and avoid peer pressure.
The main focus of the summer program was to mentor the teenagers and set the stage for them to comfortably take on leadership roles and be accountable in their actions to secure their future. All activities at the programmes were predicated on fostering the development of three processes during the teenage years: social-emotional learning, cognitive learning and identity formation as well as utilize them for the good of the community and themselves.
Speaking on the rationale for putting up the program, NAWOJ stated that mentors have a profound influence on teenagers as they go through the treacherous teenage years where one wrong step can destroy their future, adding that mentorship is important during the teenage years.
The association expressed the belief that the summer program will help the teenagers by equipping them to manage life challenges, including relationships with peers and parents; boost their cognitive skills and provide perspectives, help them to manage their emotions and impulses by opening them up to the need to think before acting and also provide identity development.
Speaking at the commencement of the summer programme, the Chairperson of NAWOJ, Comrade Jadesola Ajibola, stated that the programme will open doors to new ways of thinking, behaving, thinking and recognising opportunities while giving root to self belief and confidence.
“In today’s world, being a teenager is tough as teenagers have to contend with many issues while trying to figure out life and still move with their peers and developing; they have to deal with their bodies physically changing, contend with peer pressure while juggling demands of academics and extracurricular activities, so they need help to navigate the huge emotional maze that comes with that age,” she said.
NAWOJ advised parents to encourage their children to choose their career path that will provide opportunities for the future, reiterating that it is important to allow children follow a career path of their choice but with supervision and guidance from their parents.
Some of the speakers on Tuesday which include a legal practitioner who shared experience on what it takes to be a legal practitioner, a member of the communication’s Team of Ikeja Electricity Company, Mrs Olufadeke Omorodion and an engineer, Mr Abimbola Owoeye, all encouraged the students to carefully chose a profession they are passionate about and shared true life experiences to encourage them.
The Commissioner for Health in Oyo State, Dr. Taiwo Ladipo, represented by Ajaoat Abdullahi, educated the students on the prevention of Malaria and the use of Insecticide Treated Net as well as its importance.
Some of the schools in attendance were Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan CAC Government School, Orita Aperin, Tolbod Hephzibah School, Moniya, Nickdel Private School, UCH Staff School, Lydeb Comprehensive College and Enahoro Kiddies School, among others.
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The PDP spokesman recalled how the opposition party had on various occasions alerted that the APC government had ceded sovereignty over a large portion of our country to terrorists, “many of whom were imported into our country by the APC.”
He further stated: “From the video, in a brazen manner, terrorists as non-state actors boldly showed their faces, boasting, admitting and confirming their participation in the Kuje Prison break, some of whom were former prison inmates who were either jailed or awaiting trial for their previous terrorism act against our country.
“Nigerians can equally recall the confession by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the APC government knows the plans and whereabouts of the terrorists but failed to act.
According to Ologunagba, about 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 “as the criminals continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention.”
“This is not politics; this is about humanity and leadership, which leadership sadly and unfortunately is missing in our country at this time,” he said.
The PDP added that it is appalled by “the lame response by the apparently helpless, clueless and deflated Buhari Presidency, wherein it told an agonizing nation that President Buhari “has done all and even more than what was expected of him as Commander in Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military…”
“This is a direct admission of incapacity and failure by the Buhari Presidency and the APC. At such a time, in other climes, the President directly leads the charge and takes drastic measures to rescue and protect his citizens.
“In time of adversity, the President transmutes into Consoler-in-Chief to give hope and succour to the citizens. Painfully, Nigeria does not have a President who cares and can stand as Consoler-in-Chief to the citizens.
“It has now become very imperative for Nigerians to take note and realize that the only solution to this unfortunate situation is to hold the APC government accountable. We must come together as a people, irrespective of our political, ethnic and religious affiliations to resist the fascist-leaning tendencies of the APC administration.
Ologunagba called for an urgent meeting of the National Council of State to advise on the way to go over the nation’s worsening insecurity.
“Our nation must not fall. The resilient Nigerian spirit and ‘can-do- attitude’ must be rekindled by all to prevail on the President to immediately and without further delay, accede to the demand by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to convene a special session of the National Council of State to find a lasting solution since the President has, in his own admission, come to his wit’s end,” the PDP spokesman declared.
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