Oloriegbe ,Yusuf Lawal Headline Kwara Tabloid 10th Awards Ceremony In Ilorin…Bolarin, Aransiola, Akinlolu, Ehindero Among Award Recipients

Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe headlined the 10th  Kwara Tabloid public lecture and Awards ceremony in Ilorin, Kwara state on Friday. The event was held at Fabbies Hall, Pipeline area, Ilorin.

Giving his speech, Dr Oloriegbe , who also served as Majority Leader of Kwara state House of Assembly between 1999 and 2003, noted  that Nigeria as a country is abundantly blessed with a youthful population among many other natural endowments,  while adding that  there is  a need to optimally utilize ‘this asset’ as a catalyst for the rapid development of our country in all facets being a developing nation,.

He however noted that the absence of value system will serve as a hindrance to getting this achieved.

 ‘We can only achieve this through the conscious reawakening of our eroding value system which is highly essential in any nation-building endeavor’ he said.

The former federal lawmaker has  also called for a merit-based reward system  in which  good deeds  would be rewarded while those who engage in wrongdoings  would be punished accordingly.

‘I strongly believe that doing this will engender conscience reconfiguration and social re-engineering of our mindsets in line with the positive growth of our dearest state which we are clamoring for’ he added.

A former top official of  the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB),  Dr. Yusuf Bolakale Lawal , who gave a keynote speech at the event had  ‘ Survival Instincts of The Nigeria Youth in a Dynamic Time: The Fact, Fallacies, and Fantasies’ as his keynote topic.

While noting that education, apart from being the most important resource for human development, has also remained the bedrock of national development, Dr Lawal, who held everyone spellbound,  also suggested ways to address the ‘Japa syndrome’   while importance must according to him be attached to celebration of young people with outstanding accomplishments.

‘Promotion of education and skills development: We need to expand access to quality education and vocational training to equip young Nigerians with the skills that they need to succeed in the job market and pursue their aspirations.

     Encouraging  entrepreneurship and innovation: We should foster a supportive environment for the young entrepreneurs by providing access to funding, mentorship, and business resources. We should also celebrate and reward innovative ideas and entrepreneurial ventures among  the young people.

Nurturing  creativity and artistic expression: We must continue to encourage and support participation in arts, music and creative endeavours, and also provide platforms for young Nigerians to showcase their talents and express themselves.

Promotion of civic engagement and social activism: We should empower young Nigerians to participate actively in civic life, providing opportunities for them to engage in community service, advocacy, and decision-making processes.

     Addressing socio-economic disparities: We must enact and implement policies and programmes that will reduce poverty, improve access to healthcare, and address other socio-economic barriers that have hindered youth development’ he said.

The former top JAMB official also emphasized the need to combat discriminatory practices  by enacting and enforcing laws and policies that will protect young Nigerians from discrimination, violence, and disenfranchisement adding that ‘we need to revisit our quota system and federal character principles and policies to make them respond to current realities cognizant that every section of the country now has abundance of human resources that can compete side by side without discriminating against one another’.

‘We should develop national and sub-national platforms to highlight the achievements and contributions of successful Nigerian youths, showcasing their resilience, creativity, and positive impact on society.

We need to create opportunities for intergenerational dialogue and mentorship, fostering a culture of mutual understanding and support between young Nigerians and experienced mentors. The government should also introduce affirmative action to support and fund youth-led organizations and initiatives that address the specific needs and concerns of young Nigerians while also providing access to mental health services and counseling for young Nigerians, addressing the emotional and psychological challenges that they may face’ Yusuf added.

The annual public lecture and Awards ceremony of the Kwara Tabloid which came into being ten years ago has offered a platform to recognize accomplishments of Kwarans  and residents of Kwara ,and  celebrate excellence while giving the inquisitive minds the needed opportunity to proffer solutions to challenges facing the State of Harmony and the country as a whole.

The organizers of the awards ceremony highlighted  good work being done by people and  shone a spotlight on extraordinary contributions of individuals  towards the development and progress of the country.

Kwara Tabloid is the brainchild of Barrister Tunde Bakare, an indigene of Offa, Kwara state.

 There were different categories of the awards  and what  has made the awards ceremony unique over the years is that everything is done at no cost to award recipients.

Dr Yahaya Oloriegbe, former Commissioner for Information, Prince Tunji Morounfoye, Barrister Razaq Alabi, former Commissioner for Business Innovation and Technology, Hon Ibrahim Akaje , Governor AbdulRazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations. Mr. Kolo Majin Isaiah , General Manager, Diamond FM, Mr Michael Olanrewaju, Engineer Sunday Popoola, Alhaji Abdulahi Manko,  Dr Bolaji Afolabi, Mr Fatahi Tomori,  Alhaji Razaq Adio,  CEO of HairEssence, Mr. Ahmed Lawal,  Secretary, Correspondents’ Chapel, Kwara state NUJ, Mr. Kayode AbdulAzeez, Financial Secretary, Mrs. Sikirat Shehu , Assistant Secretary, Mr Taiye Taiwo, and  Mr. Bolaji Aladie, were among dignitaries that attended the event.

Engineer Bola Bolarin of XtreMechanics, Barrister Ayo Aransiola, who is based in Lagos state,  Madam Folashade Aransiola of  the Women Voters League, , Alhaji Rafiu  Aladie Nafiu,  Hajia Hassanat Salahudeen, a charted accountant,  Mr Lanre Osho of   the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD)., Dr D. K Ehindero, Chairman ,Nigerian Workers  Forum ,  Mr Muideen Ibrahim , who owns a company that produces pencil in Lagos state, Comrade Bashir Oyewo,  Alhaji Rasheed Salako, Mr. Oyewale Oyelola, and  Mr. Yinka Owolewa were among those who were honoured with awards at the event.

Editor-in-chief  of your darling online news outlet, orientactualmags.com, Mr Akinlolu Abayomi Lawal was also one of the award recipients.

He was honoured with ‘award of Honour’ and this came under the category of ‘Hero and Icon‘ .

‘This is hugely exciting; it was actually  a  privilege to get honoured with such an important award. I thank the organizers of the awards ceremony for honouring me with an award , I cherish and deeply appreciate this because I value it.

I dedicate the award to God  who is the originator of all, the beginning and the end.  At orientactualmags.com, we will remain religiously committed to redefining online journalism and doing things right’ Akinlolu, who is also the correspondent of Global Excellence Magazine in Kwara and Osun states, told reporters-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you