Welcome to The Future

In a comfortably airy hall, a hundred bright and energetic students from several secondary schools were eagerly anticipating. The atmosphere was colourful and electrifying; at the annual school seminar series organised by The Future Nigeria Project aimed at inspiring and motivating young people in secondary schools using role models who are past winners of the The Future Awards.

This edition was hosted by Laureates College in Aviation Estate, Mafoluku and featured students from Christabel College , Ewututu Senior Grammar School and Rosabel School . The stage was set with a welcome song by five female students from the host school.

Adebola Williams (Operations Director: RedSTRAT/The Future Project) gave a quick introduction to the students. He spoke on the importance of timeliness and of networking. The students immediately took action and started mixing up and making friends amongst themselves.

The Future Awards 2010 winner of the Business Owner of the Year category - Debola Lewis, was the speaker at the event. Linda Ikeji ewis gave a captivating narration of his personal success story. After getting a degree in Geography from the University of Ibadan , he was quick to realize that he needed to do the thing he truly enjoyed. He noted that he had to undergo a period of tutelage, an opportunity which he maximized by learning fast and working very hard. He averred that he had to learn to be submissive before he could be successful. In his words “you must put yourself under authority, to be in authority”.

His story obviously struck a chord with all the students present because they had lots of comments to contribute and questions to ask. The questions were interestingly profound. They ranged from clarifications on the details of the story to posers on vital business strategies.

The applause at the end of his talk was thunderous and showed the depth of appreciation the students felt towards the seminar. The students were not to be outdone though. They delivered a string of poetic and dramatic recitations. Chibuikem, a Basic 8 student delivered a rousing poem called ‘The Title of my Studies’. Kabirat recited John Keats’ ‘Ode to Autumn’ followed by a re-enactment of Scene IV of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ by Uchechi.

A thank you speech from a member of staff from Laureates College marked the end of an inspiring programme. But what kind of event ends without the National Anthem and the “I Represent Nigeria” creed? Not this one!

March 16 that continues to be talked about weeks after, young Nigerians
under the aegis of the ENOUGHISENOUGH (EiE) Nigeria coalition have
announced a Lagos rally, which will hold at the Governor’s Office in
Alausa on Tuesday April 13, 2010.

The protesters will gather at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Anglican
Church car park that morning at 11am, and march to Alausa. “The governor’s
office has already been notified about this as well as the authorities of
the Nigerian police force,” said Adebola Williams, who is one of the
rally’s coordinators.

ENOUGHISENOUGH Nigeria, the coalition of change-seeking youth leaders and
young professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, celebrities, activists and
students from across the country, will march to the Lagos State Governor’s
Office where they will present 4 Key Demands to the Lagos State Governor,
Babatunde Fashola, for onward passage to the National Council of State and
the Governors’ Forum.

“The Lagos leg of the ENOUGHISENOUGH Nigeria protests is coming a month
after the historic protest rally of Tuesday the 16th of March 2010, that
saw hundreds of young people engage in a standoff with armed policemen
deployed by the authorities of the National Assembly in Abuja to prevent
them from gaining access to the leadership of the Assembly,” said ‘Gbenga
Sesan, ED of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, who is also one of the
coordinators. “That rally made the headlines on print and electronic
national media and was covered by leading international news
organizations, including the CNN and AFP, and we are not about to stop.”

Joining the young people at the Abuja rally was a slew of prominent
Nigerians including Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Stella Damascus, Omawumi
Megbele, Peace Fiberesima, Charly Boy, the Rooftop MCs, amongst others.

“Some people have asked why are we marching in Lagos and we say why not?
The move for change by young people across the country doesn’t end in
Abuja ,” said Stella Damascus, one of the leaders of the movement.
“Governor Fashola might be doing well, but this is beyond him; this is
about a system and this is about making a statement. We are not just going
there to complain. We are going to send a strong message through him and
through the media that in 2011, we are mobilising millions of young people
to register, to vote and to protect their votes. Because that really is
the solution to most of our problems: If people have control over who is
in power, those in power will begin to respond to the people’s needs and
demands.”

Excerpts of the demand for the Lagos rally are:

(a) Electoral Reform: “We demand that the Uwais Panel Report on Electoral
Reform be adopted as is, as they present the clearest path towards
transparent and corruption-free elections.”

(b) Corruption: “There are littered across the country, corruption cases
involving key ministries – from power to petroleum – parastatals and those
held in cahoots with members of Corporate Nigeria. The government must
show its seriousness in prosecuting these alleged corrupt practices and
showing to Nigerians seriousness in solving the problem of graft.”

(c) Security: “We demand a complete overhaul of the country’s security
apparatuses and that all the public officials who were responsible for the
breakdown in Jos should be, as a matter of urgency, removed.”

(d) Electricity: “6,000 megawatts will not solve the electricity problems
of Nigeria , but it’s a good start. Nigerians desperately and urgently
need power for the industrial and production centres. We are extending our
ultimatum to the federal government – until the end of April – for it to
present this plan to the people. If not, we shall target the ministry of
power specifically for protest. This promise is not to be taken lightly.”

“ENOUGHISENOUGH Nigeria also wishes to send out a clear message to all
Nigerians, and especially those in the corridors of power, that its quest
to effect transformation in Nigeria will not be restricted to rallies and
public protests alone,” Audu Maikori, the CEO of Chocolate City, said
about the strategy to be used by the coalition. “We have a unique
opportunity to change Nigeria through the power of our numbers, resolve
and collective anger in 2011. We will register enmasse, turn out to vote
in our millions, post live updates (pictures, SMS, video, etc) from the
voting centres, wait until the winner is announced and confirm that the
results are accurate. This is the election in which young people will
shock the status quo. Any politician who tries to rig the 2011 elections
will be shocked. Enough is indeed enough.”

The organisations involved in this coalition include the Abira Foundation,
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, the Omotola Youth Empowerment Programme, The
Future Project’s TakeAction arm, Chocolate City , EME Music,
LightUpNigeria, Rise Networks, Gbagyichild Entertaiment, B.L.I.N.G,
Avienti, Green Nigeria, amongst others. Information on its activities can
be found on www.enoughisenoughnigeria.com.

Well, The Future Project is introducing the long-awaited YOUNG WRITERS NETWORK CREATIVE CLASSES!

This historic push is to be taken under the name ENOUGHISENOUGH Nigeria.
“ENOUGHISENOUGH [is] a coalition of individuals, organisations, and collectives, intended to be the most ambitious of youth initiatives aiming to effect peaceful transformation in Nigeria,” said Tolu Ogunlesi, winner of the CNN Journalist of the Year awards last year. “ENOUGHISENOUGH is a double-edged sword; it is a message both to us (that it is time to leave the comfort of our computer and mobile phone keyboards, and seek to exert authority in the real world) and to the powers-that-be (that enough is enough of taking Nigeria and Nigerians for granted).”

The rally will have young professionals, celebrities, activists, students and others. The protesters will gather at the Eagle Square at 11am and march to the National Assembly, accompanied by a massive pool of national, international and youth media.
One of the prominent youth leading this is the Nollywood superstar, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, whose youth empowerment project, OYEP, is also a part of this protest. “We've had cases of people who die as a result of generator fumes,” Jalade-Ekeinde said. “We cannot continue to sit on the fence and allow just a few people in government eat up our future.”

According to another member of the coalition, Toyosi Akerele, team leader of Rise Networks, which held nationwide seminars with almost 50, 000 youths last year: “Silence is not golden, we have to speak up! Our children will live in worse situations than we are in now if we don't do something. It is a crisis of values for me to take up a job I cannot handle, despite that, the rallies we are doing are not an anti-Yar'Adua campaign but an anti system campaign.”

“Look at what is happening in Jos, it is a failure of leadership – and we are angry,” said Chude Jideonwo, who is Creative Director of the popular The Future Awards/The Future Project. “The drama surrounding President Umaru Yar’Adua’s health has effectively derailed the country. But Nigeria is bigger than one man! The president should either resume, resign or be removed from office before the end of this month. And if he resigns, all those involved in these unconstitutionalities should be brought to book! Then there’s the issue of power supply, and then there is the issue of fuel. It is just shameful. Enough is enough.”

Organisations involved in this include the Rise Networks, the Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Abira Foundation, Gbagyichild Entertainment, Chocolate City , The Future Project, The Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness, amongst others. “There is no north or south demarcation here,” Alkassim Abdulkadir, until recently with the National Assembly, said. “Young people across Nigeria are one in their anger, and Muslim or Christian, South South or North Central, rich or poor, we are all marching in Abuja in one accord to take a stand, and let our voices be heard.”

The organisers mentioned that the rally is only the first in a chain of actions leading up until the 2011 elections. According to them, they will be working vigorously to actively participate in the polls as well as to pile on pressure for electoral reform. Already, older Nigerians including Prof. Pat Utomi, Hon. Abike Dabiri, Chief Dele Momodu and others have indicated their support for the rally and will be joining the protesters. Young celebrities involved in this include MI Abaga, Timi Dakolo, the Rooftop MCs, Eldee the don, Banky W, Omoni Oboli, Matse Uwatse, Denrele Edun, Segun Obe, amongst others.

“This is the important first step,” said Nze Sylva Ifedigbo, Abuja-based coordinator. “Young people need to make a statement that we are an important voice in this country. More than 70 percent of the population is below 35, and we have had enough of this rubbish. Many young people now realized that it is not enough to be angry on Facebook and Twitter and on the internet; it is time to walk the talk. So all the young people who are tired of everything that is wrong in our country are going to show that we are not taking it anymore!”

The ENOUGHISENOUGH group is also a strong part of the Save Nigeria Group’s efforts, and is especially in charge of its pop culture arm. Key members of the group, represented by Ohimai Godwin Amaize, a Microsoft Internet Safety Ambassador, are part of the organisers of the SNG protests.

“Most of us have only ever seen guns in the hands of armed robbers and armed policemen,” Ogunlesi reiterated. “Our weapon is anger, enlivened by a sense of history, and of destiny, and tempered by reason. And, very importantly, we are determined not to make the mistakes that those who went before us made, revolutionaries who ended up creating systems in dire need of revolution.”

Other members of the coalition and signatories for this can be found on the website www.enoughisenoughnigeria.com.

What’s up!

www.thefuturenigeria.com is the place to go!

The Future Awards 2010 is wrapped up, but on our website, the party has just started! Get all the latest news, updates, information that should concern a young Nigerian and all of that to change your life on www.thefuturenigeria.com.

We also have the hottest entertainment gist, polls, witty bloggers, pictures, conversations and everything else you want. And you can leave comments!

We also have weekly competitions to make it worth your while! Just go to the website, go to the ‘Fun Stuff’ link, answer the SIMPLE questions, and then you win a t-shirt or sticker every week, tickets and invitations to the hottest events around the country, and more! It’s all happening www.thefuturenigeria.com!

News. Inspiration. Networking. That’s www.thefuturenigeria.com!

Enough is Enough Nigeria!
Did you know that, in Nigeria, young people are in the majority? Did you know that young people below 35 make up more than 70 per cent of the population? You know what that means? It means we have the power to actually make things happen! So, how come we are doing nothing about the many problems that have hit our nation in the past few months?
Is it enough to make noise on Facebook, Twitter, websites, BBMs, blogs and others where no one is listening? How come it’s the Wole Soyinkas, the Femi Falanas and the Tunde Bakares that are fighting for us? Why do we allow ourselves to be branded as the do-nothing generation?
Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com

Tell us how The Future Awards has changed your life!
Every day we get stories of young people who have been motivated or inspired by The Future Project/The Future Awards. Those stories encourage us, and we want to hear more! So if The Future Awards or any of our projects or winners have renewed your faith in Nigeria, inspired you to finish or start a project or business or idea, helped you practically in any way etc, we want to get your story, and if you want we put it on the website! But mostly we want to know those whose lives have changed! Send us a mail right away at thefuturenigeria@yahoo.com or info@thefuturenigeria.com or call us on 08022226712. It doesn’t have to be well written or long – just tell it the way you feel it!
What’s next?
In the next couple of months, the winners will be taken on a tour of secondary schools in Lagos and across the country to contribute to practically supporting the education system. The First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, is partnering with the initiative through her pet project which focuses on career seminars for students.
Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com
Catch the winners like… everywhere!
Our winners have been hot property since we unveiled them, and over the next few weeks you can catch them on TV, radio, and in the papers and magazines. We have created new stars and re-charged old ones! This is a new line-up of the brightest and the best!
Get a load on their inspiring stories; connect with their tales of success, engage with ideas that will power a New Nigeria.
We will also try to have the interviews on the website www.thefuturenigeria.com.

Get branded “I represent Naija” tshirts and blazers!
The coolest The Future tee-shirts, polos and stickers have sold widely across Nigeria – and we aren’t about to stop now! They are branded ‘I represent Naija’ and ‘I am the future’ and we still have them streaming in on demand from Clemas and Ouch! You can also get the customized blazers that are beeeeaaauuuutiful. All these can be delivered to you at home or work for a small extra cost. Just call our Communications Coordinator on 08022226712 NOW or send a mail to info@thefuturenigeria.com!
The Future Awards denies The Future Nigeria Group
The Future Project Nigeria , organisers of The Future Awards, finds it necessary to make a public statement clarifying that it is no way associated with a group called The Future Nigeria group (FNG), which has recently expressed support for aides of the president whose actions have essentially subverted the constitution.
Amongst other things, this organisation, which claims to be speaking for young people, has said that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua did not commit any offence or breach the constitution by not appearing in public five days after his return from Saudi Arabia . The group also says that there is no crisis in the country and commended the wife to the president, Turai Yar’Adua, for her conduct in the past few months.
“Whilst we agree with their constitutional rights in making these statements, we make bold to disagree sharply with their comments, as we strongly believe that there is a cabal around the Presidency that has been working against the interests of Nigerians,” said the project’s creative director, Chude Jideonwo. “We find it necessary to make this bold dissociation after we received very concerned mails from young people, our partners and other stakeholders who wondered if our values have changed.”
Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com
We want to partner with you!!!!!

If you are a youth organization, or you target young people and you would like to work with The Future Project/The Future Awards in ANY way, please contact us immediately.

We are beginning our post-awards national tour and already working towards Season 6 and would be delighted to see how we can support you and how you can work with us.

Call us on 08022226712 or send a mail to kenneth@thefuturenigeria.com.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Join our database – give us feedback!
In our quest to build a network of young Nigerians who have a burning desire to bring about change to our great nation, we would love you to continually send us comments/advice on how to push this cause a step further. We would definitely get back to you. Join our database, give us your feedback!

What went down!

The review!

Three weeks after the awards, on the 27th of February, we gathered the brightest young people from across spectrums and had them share with us their observations, suggestions, critiques, modifications and others from The Future weekend. With kudos for the out of the box content through the highest profile guests, it was a weekend of nods and well dones.

Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com

The conference that stood out
Pat Utomi, Abike Dabiri, Ben Bruce, Dele Olojede, Toyin Subair, Tonye Cole, Obi Asika, Detoun Ogwo, Emeka Mba (representing Prof. Dora Akunyili), Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Fela Durotoye, MI Abaga, Gbenga Sesan, Hassan Rilwan, Tolu Ogunlesi, Mosunmola Umoru, Omawumi Megbele and others under one roof speaking to young people? It was at The Future Pre-Awards Conference!

Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com

Nigeria’s biggest, no doubt!

It was a brilliant night of glitz and inspiration as some of Nigeria’s most prominent citizens gathered to celebrate youth who are making the nation proud in sections including science, technology, business, the media and others at the 2010 edition of the nation’s premier youth event, The Future Awards.

Everyone that mattered in all sectors of Nigeria’s socio-political system were at the event to witness this great event – filled with an energetic keynote address, wonderful performances and the spectacles were nothing like what you’d seen at any event in the country.

You’ve heard it everywhere again and again so we won’t push it. If for some reason you missed it, visit our website for the complete lo’down and pictures from the awards. Get the list of the inspiring winners and their profiles as well!

You would think you were there live!
If you weren’t at the venue of the awards, we assured you that we would still give you a front row seat at the event, and we did! Working with MTN for our Multimedia Centre, we were able to use social networking to give those who weren’t at the event, live updates from the venue.
Our team, including Team Leader Shade Ladipo and volunteers like Omolara Okusanya, Akinlolu Osinbajo and Ada Amogu, ensured that those who were not amongst the hundreds of guests at the venue were able to interact at the event live. Like one of the followers said, “You guys make it feel like I am on stage!”
Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com
The Future Volunteers Party

Right from the inception of The Future Awards, we have been advocates of volunteerism and many people say we have put volunteers and the volunteer spirit back in the spotlight and we are proud to have perhaps the largest volunteer force in the country.
It would be difficult to talk about the successes of the awards without mentioning work put in by volunteers, proving those who say we can not have genuine volunteerism in Nigeria wrong. As with the usual, we organised a party to celebrate our volunteers after The Future Awards. Details and pictures on www.thefuturenigeria.com/volunteers-party

Still about the ‘I Represent Naija Creed’

To have seen the Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, hold up the creed at The Future Awards 2010 while she gave her speech and read them out one after the other, imploring guests to stand by the creed, it showed the power of what is in reality an everyday manual for the young Nigerian. Guests at the event also excitedly received their own copies.

So we reproduce it below again.

THE ‘I REPRESENT NAIJA’ CREED:

 I will not steal government money!
 I will not collect a bribe!
 I will not cover up fraud!
 I am not corrupt!
 I love my country!

Read more on www.thefuturenigeria.com
Thank you very much for connecting with this vision to inspire and empower a new generation of Nigerian leaders. You can get any information on any of the above, including plenty of pictures, on www.thefuturenigeria.com.
For any enquiry, information or anything else, send us a mail on info@thefuturenigeria.com or thefuturenigeria@yahoo.com and we’ll get right back at ya!

Compliments of:
The Future Project, Nigeria
Aspire. Strive. Achieve
www.thefuturenigeria.com