***Dr. Otive Igbuzor to Supply More Books Relevant to Federal Polytechnic, Orogun Students
31st July, 2024- Orogun, Delta State
By Foster Akpore
Mr. Monday Osasah, FSM, the Executive Director of the Ejiro and Otive Igbuzor Foundation, has passionately called upon the youth of Orogun to embrace reading and education. During his visit to the Niger Delta Resource Centre, located at Umuabi Street, Ugono Orogun, Osasah delivered an inspiring address aimed at motivating the participants of the Orogun Youth Empowerment Summit (O-YES ’24).
The O-YES ’24 summit is designed to empower the youth of Orogun and its environs by equipping them with essential digital skills, such as Digital Readiness, Graphics Design, Video Editing, Content Creation, Digital Marketing, Life Skills, and Financial Literacy. These skills are crucial for success in the modern world, and Osasah emphasized their importance in his speech.
Drawing inspiration from the Bible, Osasah cited Daniel 9:2: “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” He challenged the youth to make this their memory verse by internalizing and personalizing it, putting their names in place of Daniel’s. This, he explained, would motivate them to read and seek knowledge.
Osasah addressed a common stereotype that suggests if one wants to hide something from a Black man, they should put it in a book because he won’t read it. He acknowledged that while this is often seen as an insult, it should instead be a challenge to prove otherwise by reading and gaining knowledge.
“Take advantage of this opportunity,” Osasah urged. “The benefits of reading the books we have here will be your joy. The books will help you better yourself and elevate your family’s status. Your family is waiting for you. The whole world is waiting for you. There is something God put inside of you that only reading can bring to light.”
The Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) further emphasized that many successful individuals reached their status through reading and acquiring knowledge. He quoted Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls,” stressing that the way to go is through knowledge, and it is through knowledge that one can find rest and refreshment.
Osasah expressed his satisfaction with the number of participants responding to the training, with the hope that more persons would take advantage of the opportunity across the kingdom, urging them to think about how they can utilize the knowledge gained to impact society positively. He referenced Genesis 12:3, “…And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”, highlighting the responsibility to bless others through the knowledge and skills acquired.
He encouraged the youth to make full use of the Resource Centre, which is stocked with numerous books and offers a conducive environment for learning. “Instead of doing nothing at home, come here. There is no charge at all. Develop yourself because without developing your mind, you go nowhere.”
Osasah, the International Coordinator of Publish What You Pay (PWYP): a global network of civil society organisations that advocates for transparency and accountability in the extractive sector, shared personal anecdotes to illustrate the transformative power of education. He recounted his journey from not understanding English as a child to now speaking and teaching across different states and nations, attributing this change to the transforming power of reading and education.
In closing, Osasah thanked Foster Akpore for his passionate facilitation of the training and urged the participants to give him their full cooperation. “Make sure you leave here as a changed person. Let there be a commitment in your heart that the person who came here three days ago is not the same person leaving today. Why? Because many things have changed inside you that the society needs. It’s a new day for you,” he affirmed.
The management of the Foundation also restocked the Resource Centre with five copies of the under-listed thirteen books: Triumphant Christian Living, Called to Serve God and Humanity, Reigning as Kings and Priests, Called to Fulfil Destiny, Challenges of Development in Nigeria, Overcoming the Challenges of Transformation of in Nigeria, Leadership, Development and Change, National Security and Policing in Nigeria, Public Administration Reforms and the Emergence of Buhari, Otivism, The Travail of Omotejomo, The Trophy Husband, We Rise and plans to install DSTV, offering news and documentaries to further aid in the participants’ education and empowerment.
Osasah encouraged the youth to invite others and take full advantage of the resources available. He assured them that the President of the Foundation, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, who places a high premium on human capital development, is also planning to add more books relevant to the students of the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, who were also part of the training, promising that their lives would be greatly improved by utilizing these resources.