Mr Oluwole Ben Eweoya, a philanthropist and safety management trainer has expressed optimism at the prospect of bettering the lives of young people in Oshodi local government with the advent of The Forwarders group, a non-governmental foundation committed to developing the community by stirring the interest of youths in education and personal development.
Mr Eweoya, who has an LLB in Law and MBA in international business from the University of Westminster, England told journalists he was inspired to come up with the initiative as a result of his dissatisfaction with the turn of events in the community. “I am concerned because I was born and bred in Oshod. I attended Mafoluku grammar school and there is no where I will get to that people will look at me like an illiterate. I am not blowing my own trumpet but the same Oshodi today, if you mention it anywhere, people will run away. Oftentimes I have told people that I am from Oshodi and they are like what? That is where touts live! Those are the kind of impressions people have about Oshodi that we want to change”.
Disclosing the strategy for realising the vision; the grass root politician who is fondly called Imole by his admirers is staring from the grassroots by reaching out to youths in public primary and secondary schools with various activities. Already, the group has provided laboratory equipment to schools and organised seminars on safety and the environment not leaving out inter house sports activities and book readings to encourage reading culture among primary schools pupils. Schools which have benefited from these activities are Mafoluku Grammar School, Ikeja grammar school and St. Paul Anglican primary school, Mafoluku.
Lamenting that some children in the community now see war lords as heroes, Eweoya said he embarked on the book reading project to broaden the minds of the pupils so as to make them focus on the bigger picture. “I personally do one hour every week in some of the schools at the moment. I believe in reading because it helped me while I was growing up. Often times when I go to their school and chat them up on their future ambition, I get shocked. I may not be able to mention names straight away but it touches my heart when I hear them say who they want to be. This is a function of lack of role models in the community”. He added that plans are underway to extend the scheme to other schools within the Oshodi local government.
Reflecting on his plans to create an apprentice scheme where youths in Oshodi can get trained in vocational skills and access seed capital without interest, Mr Eweoya who was presented with a social responsibility award in the Lagos state support our school initiative also highlighted on the need to change the perspective of the youths before giving them seed grants for business. substance.
According to him; “If we create jobs without bringing these youths to our ways of seeing things, they might not appreciate the job because as far as some of them are concerned, it is easier to walk away and not be responsible to anybody. The need to bring them to see the value in empowerment has been the fulcrum of some of the trainings we have done since empowerment programmes are underway”. SOCIAL IKOYI 1938 CLUB MEMBER.
Disclosing the strategy for realising the vision; the grass root politician who is fondly called Imole by his admirers is staring from the grassroots by reaching out to youths in public primary and secondary schools with various activities. Already, the group has provided laboratory equipment to schools and organised seminars on safety and the environment not leaving out inter house sports activities and book readings to encourage reading culture among primary schools pupils. Schools which have benefited from these activities are Mafoluku Grammar School, Ikeja grammar school and St. Paul Anglican primary school, Mafoluku.
Lamenting that some children in the community now see war lords as heroes, Eweoya said he embarked on the book reading project to broaden the minds of the pupils so as to make them focus on the bigger picture. “I personally do one hour every week in some of the schools at the moment. I believe in reading because it helped me while I was growing up. Often times when I go to their school and chat them up on their future ambition, I get shocked. I may not be able to mention names straight away but it touches my heart when I hear them say who they want to be. This is a function of lack of role models in the community”. He added that plans are underway to extend the scheme to other schools within the Oshodi local government.
Reflecting on his plans to create an apprentice scheme where youths in Oshodi can get trained in vocational skills and access seed capital without interest, Mr Eweoya who was presented with a social responsibility award in the Lagos state support our school initiative also highlighted on the need to change the perspective of the youths before giving them seed grants for business. substance.
According to him; “If we create jobs without bringing these youths to our ways of seeing things, they might not appreciate the job because as far as some of them are concerned, it is easier to walk away and not be responsible to anybody. The need to bring them to see the value in empowerment has been the fulcrum of some of the trainings we have done since empowerment programmes are underway”. SOCIAL IKOYI 1938 CLUB MEMBER.
