Desist From Thuggery, Engr Okafor Charges Youths

By Cynthia Igbokwe

The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) Anambra Youth Forum, Engr Simeon Okafor, has called on youths to desist from all forms thuggery, but instead make a positive impact that will be benefit society.

Engr Okafor made this call during a youth conference held in Awka last Sunday at King David Hotel, while presenting a paper on ”The  Role of Igbo Youths in Governance and Democracy in Nigeria”.

At the conference which was organized by Anambra Youth Forum (AYF), in conjunction with Makpela Entertainments, Engr Okafor reminded the youths that character was the only ingredient to success, while he charged them not to be easily bought over or engage in any security vices but be youths who saw hard work as a panacea for achieving greatness.

The chairman of the occasion, Hon Sir Anthony Uko-Akpulu, in his address, advised youths to engage in selfless services which he described as the gate way to success.

He also pointed out that money was not the problem of youths in Nigeria but the ability to discover their God-given talents.

Hon Uko-Akpulu, who was a former chairman of Anaocha Local Government Area, regretted that youths had attached more value to frivolous life styles instead of getting engaged in skill acquisition. He suggested that to reduce unemployment, government should establish vocational schools across the twenty one local governments in Anambra State.

Another speaker, Head of Public Relations in the State, Lady Jane Okafor, reiterated the need for every youth to learn one skill or more rather than folding arms and waiting for white collar jobs which she described as a waste of time and talent.

Lady Jane advised the youths to grow their confidence, saying, ‘Until you believe in yourself, you can’t achieve success. Great leaders are made in crisis. Everyone has a fear, if you don’t overcome your fear, you will live a life of hopelessness.

‘Nobody will believe in you until you believe in yourself, do what you want to do despite your fear. You must be willing to wear pain as a badge of honor for the longest time.’

Contributing, the Head of Training, Metallurgical Training Institute Onitsha (MTI), Engr Chijindu A.O. posited that government should attach much importance to the training of skilled manpower as a developing nation, especially for youths, as it would drastically minimize restiveness, which, he said, was not only uneconomical, but also catastrophic.

He also noted that the progress of any nation depended on its youths.

In separate interviews with some of the youths who participated, Miss Chidiebere Asuzu and Mr Samuel Njoku said the event had availed them the opportunity to understand that one could earn a living through self-employment.

The highpoint of the event was an investiture by Comrade Makpela Williams, Managing Director of Makpela Entertainment, to those who had facilitated youth development in the state.

Those awarded Included Engr Simon Okafor, Engr Chijindu A.O., among others.