By: Emmanuel Abuh
The Special Adviser to the Governor of Kogi State on Youth and Student Matters, Comrade Oladele John Nihi has reiterated his commitment to giving back to the society.
Nihi stated this while speaking with our Reporter on the Oladele John Nihi (OJN) Annual Symposium in Lokoja which will mark his thirty-seventh birthday.
Comrade Nihi, who is the founder of the foundation, said he has been taking active part in Youth leadership since his university days, noting that he will continue to use the OJN Foundation to impact the youth.
“I have risen from student to youth leadership in Nigeria and even in Africa. Serving as the vice president currently at the Pan African Youth Union, making me the number two youth in Africa. It’s imperative to begin to give back to our society, particularly the young ones. A lot of people come to me and say, “Ah, Comrade Nihi, how have you been able to achieve this? While you were in the university, you served as departmental president. Later you became SUG speaker.
Then you became Youth Council chairman in Kogi State, became the Youth Council president in Nigeria, and serving in different political positions. Just at your very early age, how have you been able to achieve this?” So I felt the best platform to use in discussing about myself, my growth and also how to encourage young people and also bringing leaders to come and speak to impact in the life of young people is such a platform. And I decided to be holding every July 15 every year because that is my birthday” Comrade Nihi stated.
According to him, part of activities marking his birthday celebration include inauguration of the OJN Foundation Secretariat, which is housing a two hundred and sixty capacity hall, four offices and a library.
He noted that the secretariat will serve as a place for training of young people in areas of capacity building, leadership, entrepreneurship, among others.
Comrade Nihi commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for giving everyone equal opportunity to shine, attributing his success story to the support of the Governor.
The annual OJN Symposium, which started about six years ago, was founded with the aim of contributing to youth leadership and societal development.
The OjN annual Symposium is to hold on Tuesday next week at Plot Eighty five, Hassan Usman Katsina Road, Zone eight round about in Lokoja beginning at ten o’clock in the morning.
“The OJN Annual Symposium is an initiative of myself that started about six years ago, precisely 2020, when we conceived the idea to begin to contribute to our society due to the little that God has blessed us with”
“So instead of celebrating my birthday, parting, dancing, whining and all that, I felt it can also be a platform that we can use to impact people and in the last five Editions has been very wonderful. It’s been from one success story to the other and this year being the sister edition is even more glorious because it’s more like a three-in-one activity one we are doing the sixth edition of the OGN Annual Symposium. Secondly, we are commissioning the OGN Foundation Secretariat”
“This Secretariat is intended to serve as a youth hub for youth in Kogi State and youth generally. It’s located by Zone 8 runabouts, just directly opposite Steve Moore Pharmacy. And the intention is that the secretariat is housing a 260 capacity hall, four offices including library store and outside we intend to have youth games there like tennis, snooker and what have you so that young people can come and meet themselves, chat. And the hall will also be serving as a place for training of young people, youth capacity training, youth leadership training, entrepreneurship training, and all kinds of seminar conferences and all that that is geared towards youth growth in the States and even in Nigeria at large. So it’s been very wonderful”
“And the third one is that, I’ll be celebrating my 37th birthday that same day. So it’s a three-in-one package. And I want to sincerely appreciate His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the man who has given children of nobody an opportunity to be able to shine. And all this success story would not have been possible without his support. He has been very supportive because he always tells us as young people, if we don’t help ourselves, then what do we gain? In his words, and because he has shown good example, those of us who are serving with him also owe him the opportunity to also copy from his wealth of experience, which is touching life, reaching out to the less privileged. So by that 15, we’ll commission the secretariat and it can be officially open for use”he added.
