A GATHERING OF EAGLES!

When a crucial moments meet, it is not a matter of conjecture what next an action should be, or how necessary or urgent such action should be. I say this with regards to the annual interregnum in the academic calendar of the Nigerian education system at the primary and secondary levels. From the end of July to the beginning of September, Nigerian kids go home to have some reprieve from schoolwork, reappraise their performance in the just concluded session and prepare for the next academic session. Some kids will anticipate going on to the next class while some would inevitably repeat the previous class. Still there are those who would go from the primary to secondary level.
During this long vacation, many young people engage in various activities to while away the time. Some spend the period profitably but some choose to waste the time doing nothing significant. And yet these are the young people who form the bulk of the youth population of the great nation.
In-school youths, specifically those in secondary schools and those just out of secondary school combined with the rest who are learning one trade or the other in the workshops, constitute the huge percentage of the general population of young people in this country. This youth population added to those in tertiary institutions constitute the prospective leaders of this nation and those that will ultimately chart the course of her destiny in few years from now.
But the issue is that when one takes the youth into a collective whole and reviews their inclinations, activities and performances in recent times, it leaves one with certain trepidation. This is borne out of the turn of events in different parts of the country. Youth-related violence, examination malpractice, drug abuse, sexually-transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, fast-eroding moral values, disrespect for constituted authority, unwholesome indulgence, and the lot are almost becoming synonymous with the character profile of our youth.
Recent events in the Niger Delta are no funny lullabies. Militancy exerted on the region by disgruntled and misguided youths has impacted negatively on the economic and social life of the nation and even the international community. The just concluded General Elections in the country saw irregularities laced with violence perpetrated by youths. Cultism and examination malpractice in our higher institution are another sad aspect of activities of our youth. Put together, these gives every conscientious Nigerian a source of concern.
Against this background and during this long vacation comes the YOUTH SUCCESS CAMP 2007, an auspicious event crafted for the youth across the nation. It is an epochal gathering tailored to meet the needs of a generation of youth who are facing and living with challenges their parents didn’t know. With the issues of poverty, new and incurable diseases, institutional failure, dearth of qualitative leadership, economic recess on a global scale, etc staring at humanity boldly in the face, there can never be a better time for such an event to come up.
This event is billed for August 21st through 25th of this year and would hold simultaneously in both the 36 state capitals and major towns in each state. The youth department of the deeper Christian life ministry is acting as convener and plans to execute this programme across the country in active collaboration with stakeholders such community leaders, civil society organizations, government agencies, traditional institutions, youth groups, professional bodies, security agencies, churches, and others. Everything possible is to be invested in the successful execution of the programme.
Across four days and eight sessions, speakers will address the physical, spiritual, academic, moral, and mental aspects of the youths. Speakers will be drawn from the academia, clergy, medical profession, security agencies, and other areas and will address issues such as HIV/AIDS, cultism, drug abuse, health, examination malpractice, academic success and morality. Leading the pack of speakers that will deliver papers across the various event venues will be Dr. William Folorunsho Kumuyi, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, whose messages to the youth will be relayed live via satellite downlink to the various locations.
Youths have potentials yet untapped and needs a forum such this to unveil themselves, develop their talents, groom their skills and be motivated for the next level. Participants will be drawn from every strata of the youth population. Everyone is invited.
A revolution on a major scale is about to be unleashed on the moral, intellectual and social fronts. God in His infinite mercies has earmarked the Nigerian youth to birth this revolution and the Nigerian people cannot sit back and watch askance. Everyone is concerned as long as the issue is youth-related and as such none should shy away from contributing his/her resources and effort to make this event a huge success. It will be a gathering of where youths will learn to fly high and soar to heights previously unattained. A real gathering of eagles!