WE MUST GIVE URGENT ATTENTION TO TEENAGERS- PA AYO OGUNJOBI

WE MUST GIVE URGENT ATTENTION TO TEENAGERS- PA AYO OGUNJOBI
 
Pa Ayo Ogunjobi, a retired chattered Accountant, minister of God is the founder of Project Hope, a church based initiative targeting teenagers from various segments of the society. Pa Ogunjobi believes that teenagers are at a very vulnerable stage of their lives and therefore required the attention of both the church and the society at large. He is convinced that when teenagers are properly handled and given proper mentoring most of the evils in our society will be nabbed in the mud before they rear their heads. In this interview, he speaks with Yemi Olakitan on the various aspects of Project Hope and his mode of operations. Excerpts.

·         What is Project Hope?

It is a concept that talks about hope for our generation if we return to God and do what is necessary to regain the future. We are targeting the teenagers because they are at a very vulnerable stage of their lives. We believe that it is at this state that characters and destinies are shaped and if we give quality attention to them. We will succeed in saving our society from decadence.

·         Is Project Hope a church for Teenagers?

No, it is not a church but it is a church based project. It is anchored by a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God called The Lords Portion, Awoyaya. We are focusing on teenagers because God has laid it on our hearts to do so. If we do not do something about this young people we will experience the collapse in morality and cultural values which western nations are currently experiencing. Our aim is to address issues of morality, leadership and individual potentials. We are dealing with vices in the society such as drug addiction, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, teenage pregnancy and prostitution. These vices are common to African youths.

·         How do you plan to achieve your objectives? What are your modes of operations?

We are sending evangelists to churches, schools and wherever teenagers are gathered. It is a non denominational project and we are addressing non- Christians as well, As we are part of the same society.  We are using the medium of seminars, workshops and conferences to achieve our aim and objectives. There are counselors and facilitators that would mentor them in various issues of life using bible based materials that would develop their leadership abilities.We also believe that the media can also help is achieve our goals.

·         Who are your partners in this project?

Like i said earlier, it is a church project of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, The Lord's Portion Parish, Awoyaya. In addition, we have identified people that have the same ideology with us. We also have a programme that is tagged: Training The Trainers. We are partnering with schools, faith based organizations and corporate entities that may be interested in joining us. We believe that it will take the collective efforts of the society at large to make changes in the lives of our young ones.

·         What about the parents and Guardians?

We have a project that will include both the parents, guardians and the teenagers themselves. This strategy will have far reaching impacts on tour young people. The parents will also be able to lend their support to our efforts. Take the problem of cultism for example, one of our key members is into child psychology and he is a parent. As we expand, we would bring in more facilitators, resource persons, educationists to support what we are doing.

·         What really inspire you to start this project.

It is the need for it. If we keep quiet. What is happening in advanced countries will happen here. In fact it is already happening.  There is high level moral breakdown among young people abroad, promiscuity, homosexuality, drug addiction and abuse, cultism. All these vices are occurring because of the neglect of the society to pay special attention to the formative years of young people. This is why the church must act urgently. We must set positive standards for young people and help those who are in need; particularly teenagers who are in abject poverty and have no-one to help them.

Tackling Hidden Hunger By Yemi Olakitan

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Tackling Hidden Hunger

By Yemi Olakitan

      Hundreds of farmers gathered at Akinale, an ancient town in Ewekoro Local Government area of Ogun state recently to collect cassava stems that was delivered to them by HarvestPlus, a Washington based international organization, dedicated to eradicating ‘Hidden Hunger’ from the planet. According to Paul Ilona, Country Manager of Harvest Plus in Nigeria. Millions of people around the world including Nigeria suffer from ‘Hidden Hunger’ or micronutrient malnutrition. This means that they do not get enough micronutrients required to lead healthy productive lives from the foods that they eat regularly. According to him, Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin A, zinc, and iron), which are absolutely essential to good health. Micronutrient malnutrition can lower IQ, cause stunting and blindness in children, lower resistance to disease in both children and adults, and increase risks for both mothers and infants during childbirth. Hidden Hunger might not be outwardly visible but it is often the cause of various illnesses.  These cassava stems have gone through biofortification and contain Vitamin A, which is highly essential to health and wellness.  Ilona explained this extensively in layman terms and in Yoruba language to the farmers who listened attentively.  ‘‘It is not enough to fill up the stomach. We must have adequate nutrients for healthier life’’ he said.

  According to him both children and adults suffer from hidden hunger and both need micronutrients to enjoy better health. HarvestPlus is willing to work with the Government, farmers and the private sector to significantly scale up vitamin A cassava dissemination in Nigeria.

    Traditional ruler of Akinale Oba Olufemi Ogunleye, the Towulade of Akinale who facilitated the event thanked Harvest Plus for making the cassava stems available to farmers. He said it was a very important milestone in Akinale because it was the first time the team is coming to Ogun state and Akinale was the first place on the list. He encouraged the farmers to take advantage of the new cassava and spread the good news to surrounding villages.

  Dr Samson Odedina of Envoy Envoy Consult and Agric Product Ltd, a major partner of Harvest Plus in Nigeria sad “that biofortified staple food crops such as vitamin A cassava can contribute immensely to health and wellness in Nigeria. He called on Ogun state Government and other stakeholders to show active involvement in making sure that more farmers receive such stems in large quantity in the state. According to him, the dissemination of vitamin A cassava was launched in Nigeria on July 30, 2012 under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akin Adesina, alongside in Akwa-Ibom state to over 2,000 farmers. ‘‘The project has now spread to eight states and Ogun is new on the list’’ he said.

    In a chat with Chief Salako Yawe, Baale of Jaguna village, he thanked the companies and expressed his appreciation for the good work done. Another Chief Isiaka Eleyele was also full of accolades for Harvest Plus and partners. He however requested that the organization to follow up on other towns and villages in Ogun state so that the new cassava can be embraced by all. The farmers were treated to a taste of the cooked Vitamin A cassava. There were cassava cakes, Fufu, Eba, cassava chips that were all prepared before hand for the crowd to taste.

   Harvest Plus Reports say, the vitamin A cassava can meet 25 percent of the daily vitamin A needs of consumers in a country where vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a serious public health concern.  VAD affects nearly one in three Nigerian children under five, increasing their vulnerability to immune system weakness. The cassava is the culmination of work by scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the National Root Crop Research Institute of Nigeria (NRCRI) under the HarvestPlus program. The project, led by HarvestPlus, has expanded to eight states, and expects to reach more than 100,000 farming households in a few years.

    HarvestPlus leads a global effort to improve nutrition and public health by developing and disseminating staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals. The organisation work with public and private sector partners in more than 40 countries. Its science is carried out by 15 research centers in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations around the world. The HarvestPlus program is coordinated by two of these centers – the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Great article BY BAYO OGUNMUPE How To Fulfill Your Dream

On The Path Of Winners

BY BAYO OGUNMUPE

How To Fulfill Your Dream

THIS period of the 21^st century is a wonderful time to be alive. This is because there have never been more opportunities for more people to accomplish more of their dreams than exist today. And indeed, if anything, our situation is getting better and better with each passing day.

  The simplest answer these happenings is that we know more today on how to achieve better results in more areas of life than we have ever known before. And this knowledge of the ages, these insights are flowing everywhere, available to anyone willing to use them.

  The wonderful thing about information is that it is ever effective in enriching anyone who applied it to his use. Moreover, knowledge is cumulative. Once you have it, it does not leave you. Each breakthrough in knowledge creates new opportunities for expanding and multiplying the knowledge so exploited.

  The driving force behind the expansion of knowledge and creativity is competition. The winning edge in your effort to fulfill your dream must be created from your personal repertoire of wisdom and skills leading you to high achievement. Your aim in life should be to acquire and develop the winning edge in your goals. Today, strategies and techniques for fulfilling your dream are more widely available than at any other time in human history. All you need is acquire and apply them to your condition.

  The ability to make decisions and stand by them in the face of all terror, is the key to success in life. Sir Winston Churchill, the British War hero once said: “Courage is rightly considered the greatest of the virtues, for upon it all others depend.” You must muster the courage to take decisions in the face of doubt and uncertainty. You develop courage by acting courageously.  Never back away from decisions for fear, because if you do not do the thing you fear, then fear controls you.

  The two obstacles to achieving your dream are the fear of failure and the fear of criticism. However, great success is often preceded by many failures. It is the lessons you learn from failures and your ability to rise above criticism that pave the way for your triumph in life. Thomas Watson, the founder of International Business Machine (IBM) once said, “If you want to be successful faster, you must double your rate of failure. Success lies in the far side of failure.”

  Make a habit of confronting your fears. Treat every anxiety as a personal challenge. Do the thing you fear and fear will disappear. The leader in a group is the person not afraid to take responsibility for his actions. Audacity is the best form of action. Audacity may get you into trouble on occasion but even more audacity will get you out. When you are faced with dangers, one in front and the other at the back, it is always better to go forward.

  Resolve today to move out of your comfort zone. Great success comes from taking risks, from trekking where others fear to tread. Set big, hairy audacious goals for yourself. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Whenever you see a great business success, it means someone once took a big chance. Remember, no matter how well you plan, life is a continuous succession of problems. The mark of leadership is never to allow yourself the luxury of discouragement and self-pity. The leader does not complain or make excuses. Failure is merely an opportunity to begin again. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it is the control and mastery of fear.

  As a way of realizing your dream, one, imagine that you could wave a magic wand and achieve any goal you set yourself. Then, begin from today, acting as though your success were guaranteed. Two, identify a specific fear in your life and confront it. Always act as if it were impossible for you to fail, and it shall be. You are successful in life to the extent to which you internalize what works and then apply the principle that is appropriate to gain your goals.

  Our champion for this week is Buzz Aldrin, born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. on 20 January, 1930. He is a former American astronaut, the second man to walk on the moon. He was the lunar module pilot on Apollo II, the first manned lunar landing in history. He set foot on the Moon on July 21, 1969 following mission commander Neil Armstrong. Aldrin is also a retired United States Air Force pilot.

  Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA, to Edwin Eugene Aldrin, a career soldier and his wife Marion (nee Moon). He is of Scottish-German ancestry. After High School, Buzz Aldrin turned down a full scholarship offer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. His name Buzz originated from the younger of his two elder sisters mispronouncing brother as buzzer. Aldrin shortened it to Buzz, making it his legal first name in 1988.

  Buzz Aldrin graduated third in his class at West Point in 1951, with B.S. in mechanical engineering. He was commissioned second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served as a fighter pilot during the Korean War. He flew 66 combat missions and shot down two Mikoyan MiG-15 aircraft.

  After the war, Aldrin was assigned as an instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Next he became an aide to the dean of the United States Air Force Academy. Then he joined the Bitburg Air Base, Germany as a flight commander. He was in the 22^nd Fighter Squadron. After a PhD in astronautics in MIT in 1963, he applied for and was selected as an astronaut – by the National Aeronautics and Spare Administration (NASA). In July 1969, Aldrin became the second person to walk on the Moon following Commander Neil Armstrong.

  After leaving NASA, he was assigned as the Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in California. In March 1972, Aldrin retired from active duty after 21 years of service. His autobiographies, Return to Earth, published in 1973 and Magnificent Desolation published in 2009, and he is married to Lois Driggs Cannon. In 2009, Aldrin said he was skeptical humans caused the current global climate change. He thinks climate has been changing for billions of years.