MentorAfrica: PARTNERING FOR DEVELOPMENT

MentorAfrica: PARTNERING FOR DEVELOPMENT: Working with youths and focusing on national reorientation and development, I feel a sense of obligation to help them understand how societ...

PARTNERING FOR DEVELOPMENT

Working with youths and focusing on national reorientation and development, I feel a sense of obligation to help them understand how society works. In Nigeria, a lot of citizens do not understand a great percentage of the goings on in government which means a majority of them work on assumptions. If we can get the youths to understand things like Private Public Partnerships, it could help to prepare them for future leadership positions and what they would need to do to get things working better. This could also help them to communicate more purposefully when they want to express their concerns to those in authority.

Yet to be completed BRT project in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria

Abandoned projects have become a recurrent decimal in the Nigerian environment, some are revisited and completed at some point while others are left to litter the landscape. This is a very sad situation to which successive governments have failed to find a lasting solutions. These constraints have led to a huge infrastructural deficit in every sector of society especially noticeable in the areas of basic needs. One of the very prominent area of abandonment is road construction.

Roads are left uncompleted and they practically become death traps as incoming administrations would rather start other road projects in area of their political interests. Contracts are constantly reviewed due to ever rising inflation and inability of government at times to meet compensation demands.

Public procurement is allegedly fraught with corruption by political actors, poor planning and bureaucratic bottle necks. Proper implementation of Private Public Partnership can act as a bridge to this infrastructural deficit. This a partnership where the private sector collaborates with the public sector to achieve a common objective. They come together to join forces; financial, technical, operational/management etc and also share the risks in order to carry out infrastructural development.

Good governance can provide a conducive atmosphere for this partnership which would result in efficient management of resources and remove undue burdens from future generations. Proper accountability by political actors aided by clarity, openness in decision making and a strong policy framework are foundations for the success of the PPP.

With the required structures in place, this is a partnership that could help government overcome inadequate infrastructure that constrains economic growth. The private sector brings in different skills and credibility that will encourage financial investors to bring in funds to help government overcome poor funding problems, weak analysis and challenges of infrastructural maintenance and durability.

MentorAfrica: SWIM TO THE BOAT 5 - NAGEZ VERS LE BATEAU 5

MentorAfrica: SWIM TO THE BOAT 5 - NAGEZ VERS LE BATEAU 5: The issue is not that people do not know that they need a way (the boat) to get to where they are going, the challenge is how to get into t...

MentorAfrica: DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 2

MentorAfrica: DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 2: According to William Shakespeare, “life is a stage” and our vision is to make the youths understand that on the stage of this nation the...

DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 2

According to William Shakespeare, “life is a stage” and our vision is to make the youths understand that on the stage of this nation they have vital roles to play, are indispensable contributors and active participants in her destiny. They must be able to critically look at issues from various perspectives in order to exercise sound judgment, know about their rights and care about their welfare as well as that of their fellow citizens.

No one can empower another without first being empowered themselves. That is what building human capacity is about. It means that we will have self-confident, independent youths with strong character that can take on the enormous challenges that we face in this nation, to bring her to the fulfillment of her existence.

Consequently, what we desire to do in this book is answer five questions that we believe will help the youths understand who they are and to show them that they have what it takes to move this country and continent to the next level. (1)What do I have to give? Everyone is an important brick needed to have a complete and beautiful nation, your vision is a necessary contribution to the development of society. (2)Why should I be interested in what is going on? We must realize that a good society is a collective responsibility of all its citizens. (3) Why should developing leadership qualities concern me? Every sphere of life needs a leader, not only in politics; and until we develop the leader in us, we can become clogs in the wheels of development.

(4) What if I do not get a job? The shift from what I would call “education for the stomach” to living a life of impact is absolutely necessary if we are going to have any meaningful development. (5) How do I prepare for relationships that will help me accomplish my life’s purpose? Many a life’s journey have been derailed or completely aborted by entering into relationships with the wrong people.

It is our sincere belief that readers of this text will be able to make well thought-out decisions as they find answers to these pertinent questions that will help them contribute their quota to the development of this nation, Africa and the world at large.  To arrive at her God ordained destiny, Nigeria needs you!

MentorAfrica: DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 1

MentorAfrica: DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 1: INTRODUCTION This is my letter of appeal to the Nigerian youth : NIGERIA NEEDS YOU! It takes a spark to light up a forest, be the ...

DREAM.ACT.LEAD... INTRODUCTION Pt. 1

INTRODUCTION

This is my letter of appeal to the Nigerian youth: NIGERIA NEEDS YOU!

It takes a spark to light up a forest, be the spark in your circle of influence.

The import of the popular saying that where the mind goes, the man follows can never be overstated. We cannot put into action things our minds have not accepted; if we do not get a proper picture of what we want, it would be impossible or extremely difficult to accomplish it.

Spending time with the youths here in Nigeria, whether in schools or in other youth groups, I have discovered that when it comes to the development of Africa, a high percentage do not believe that there is anything in store. It is either they are seeking to go overseas; get out to more developed societies or they want to get wealth, by crook or by hook, to enjoy the good things of life.

Martin White-Ufuah says “ a closer look at the way Nigerians think of themselves shows a people that were completely indoctrinated into believing that they were primitive, savage and lazy because of the western world’s misconception that they are late comers to history and civilization.”

In addition to this negative and damaging self-image, they have also completely lost faith in the government to provide the enabling environment to function or help them live the kind of life they desire. Many are not interested in creativity, entrepreneurship or good governance; they just want to fulfil the basic needs of life and die when their time comes. The compelling purpose of this book is to help youths change the way they think about themselves and what they can contribute to the development of this nation.

· How do we make the youths achieve mental independence?

· How do we make them believe in their God-given potentials?

· How do we sell to them the idea of national restoration and pride?