Royal Exchange, NGO prepare youths for leadership

From left: Senior Councellor Methodist Girls High School Mrs Offem Arit; Group EX Director Royal Exchange Plc Auwalu Muktari andAssistant Director Minstry of Education Lagos State Kasim Mufutan at the event.

Chuks Udo Okonta

Determined to raise competent future leaders, Royal Exchange in partnership with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Foundation for Youth Education (FYE) today gathered over 800 prefects from 400 schools in Lagos State, to educate them on leadership roles and responsibilities.

The event which was the 7th edition of the Annual Leadership Conference for Secondary Schools Prefects in Lagos State, provided opportunity for different speakers to demystify the roles and responsibilities expected to be played by good leaders.

Group Managing Director Royal Exchange Plc, Chike Mokwunye, said the firm's involvement in the programme, stemmed from its abiding sense of duty and patriotism to contribute to nurturing the Nigerian youth to be productive and responsible citizens.

"The students attending this conference, are already in positions of authority in their respective schools, and we want a situation where they would make positive contributions and set good examples for others to follow.

"At the end of the training, we expect the prefects to be role models, ready to lead, direct and positively influence others around them.

"The Royal Exchange brand is well known for its empathy and high sense of patriotism. This partnership reflects our belief in the potential of the Nigerian spirit and the ability of the Nigerian youths to soar and excel in their chosen field when given the opportunity," he said.

Coordinator Foundation for Youth Education, Patrick Ajogwu, said the NGO was established with the aim of installing academic; promoting qualitative education and leadership attitude development.

He noted that the conference which is the fourth edition to be sponsored by Royal Exchange, was designed to enable students start early, by developing the necessary skills, adding that it also provides counseling for the students and give them directions as they begin to make their career decisions.

Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Olayinka Oladunjoye, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Kasim Mufutan, lauded the initiative and called on the students to appreciate the roles they are presently playing in their schools, stressing that as future leaders, they should exhibit high level of intelligence so that they can handle responsibilities that will be entrusted  to them.

Senior Councellor, Methodist Girls High School Lagos, Mrs Offem Arit, urged the students to balance their duties as prefects with the schools' policies and students' demand.

She told them to consider the positions they hold as a privilege and an opportunity to shape their future.