At youth seminar, experts give tips for success in business

The Roses Ministry, a Lagos-based Non-Governmental Organisation, recently held its Annual Senior Secondary School Youth Seminar under the theme, The Challenges of Growing Up!, with about 11 secondary schools in attendance.

Speaking at the event, the coordinator, Mrs. Regina Ezenwa said, “The ministry is all about showing God’s love and compassion to the hurting and vulnerable in practical ways. We hold our seminars every last Wednesday of October and we started this since 2010. But before then, we had our university outreach at UNILAG in 2009, where we had about 2,000 students that attended. For the senior secondary youth seminar, we organise a quiz in three sections: English with questions from the book of the year, which is the ‘Think Big’ by Dr. Ben Carson; Quantitative, Science and General Knowledge Section.”

She informed that the organisation gives out motivational books with morally uplifting lessons to enable the students read and prepare for the quiz. There’s also a mini library with motivational and moral books, where youths could access inspirational books.

The seminar was of three different perspectives; the Academic Perspective, Social Perspective and the Social/Digital Perspective, with different speakers for each of them.

Co-founder and Director, EnterFive Ltd. Mr. Kemdi Ebi, who spoke on the social/digital perspective, gave few attributes and five essentials for a life starter pack, which one needs to suceed.

Also, Regional Manager, Commonwealth Scholarships, British Council, Lagos, Mrs. Chiamaka Ndika, who spoke on the academic perspective of the seminar topic, said, “It wasn’t what I read in school that got me the job I have today, but because I was and still a voracious reader. Find what you want to do, do what you love and you’ll never regret it. Whatever decision you make, make sure you are making it for yourself; no knowledge gained is wasted and anyone who can’t learn from someone’s mistake, simply can’t learn,” she said.

CEO Bromley Group Mr. Femi Adelekan gave his lecture on the social perspective. He started by giving the skills needed in progressing in life, communication skills and listening skills.

In his words, “Be willing to visit other people’s ideas, never let your emotions cloud your judgment; learn to control your emotions. No one is above knowledge, learn to accept instructive criticism.”

He also gave few skills needed to excel in business, which include leadership skills, marketing skills, management skills and analytical skills.

“Be prepared to work with people in a team because, in a business field, if you are not prepared to work in a team, you will definitely fail, learn to listen to yourself and trust and believe in your judgment. Be prepared to fail sometimes; failure is only bad when you fail and refuse to learn from that failure. Also, learn to have an open mind; never think myopically,” he said.

In the end, the Special Guest of Honour and Representative/West Africa, Ford Foundation Mr. Innocent Chukwuma presented certificate of participation to participants, before the judges came up with the final result.

According to the result presented by the Chairman Panel of Judges, Engr. Emma Okeke, Queens College Yaba came in third, GloryLand International College Surulere came in second, while Somerset College, Surulere, emerged as the winner.