By Tom Garba
From the downhills of South-South Nigeria, there emerged a Young Man with a vision to foster the Nigeria Youth’s desire to boost the Economy of the nation in the area of Digital economy, assuming leadership roles.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the not Too Young to Lead initiative, Mr. Elvis Obas Akpobi is one of such Youth having a quest to awaken the Nigerian Youth it’s time to step up and dare to take the lead to lead as it’s seen in other nations.
Elvis, a young man with excellent leadership skills has seen the Youth bulge as a demographic dividend or a demographic bomb in developing countries like Nigeria and is creating much awareness on how to mitigate its devastating doom should the current leaders neglect the looming dangers.
He believes that the New Structural Economics (NSE) and the Growth Identification and Facilitation Framework (GIFF) by the current government can help put Young people to work. This is why the Delta Born activist is restless to see that African Youths, of course, the Young men in Nigeria take the lead in involving so much in the digital economy of the present government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is giving attention to.
Elvis is raising his voice not only for the Youth but for the downtrodden and the less privileged who are voiceless and unattended to because of socio-economic differences and the social-cultural gaps in most communities in Delta State and many states in Nigeria.
There’s no doubt that Elvis is a Man born with much of leadership threads, going through the rudiments of leadership training, and retraining both within and outside the shores of Nigeria to become a leader. This is to say Delta State and of course Nigeria are fortunate to have a Young Man with the tenacity to work and awaken the minds of the Youth to think outside the box to be true leaders of today, not tomorrow. Mr Elvis Obas Akpobi became renowned for advocating for the generality of the Nigerian youths. Currently, he has distinguished himself by becoming a participant in the Institute for policy and Strategy Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos for the policy strategy and leadership course (PSLC). The course is so germane to anyone who is aspiring to be a leader and desires drastic changes in the implementation and monitoring of policies by the government either at the state or federal levels.
His visit to NIPSS is to further make Elvis a resonated and ardent fighter for the inclusion of Youth to factor in the good governance not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa. To this, He founded the Not Too Young To Lead initiative to be the conveyor of his vision and make. Is using the organization well in Delta and the whole of Nigeria as the Director General to campaign the need for Youth to be mainstreamed in the governing system of the country.
The non – non-governmental organization is also inspiring and empowering young Africans to get involved in the electoral processes of their countries while building them to become the leaders they desire for Africa.
Elvis is currently the Senior Special adviser to Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. (Chief) Sheriff F. O. Oborevwori on Youth Mentoring and Development. A position is making himself an instrument of use for the state government and the people of Delta.
The Young Man as a strategist has been empowering Young Deltans in the area of Education, skill acquisition, and mentoring. He constantly organizes workshops, seminars, symposiums public enlightenments in an effort to reshape the mindset of the youth to be conscious of leadership and abhor all forms of social menace activities like political thuggery, drugs abuse, and all forms criminal behaviors. He a vanguard of one Nigeria, he transverse around the country preaching unity and peaceful co-existence among people, especially the Youth.
He earned the respect of an honest young Nigerian, an intelligent and trustworthy person with high and low individuals. His humility can be considered a deep down-to-earth youth whose leadership potential riped for Nigeria to harness.
Suffice it to say that Nigeria is great and the hope of a better country is no longer bleak but bright and hopeful with the likes of Elvis who are becoming a factor in the leadership schemes of the nation.
With Elvis, the hope and the future of Nigeria is certain. The leadership landscape and the ultimate of changing the narrative of the backward nation lies in the caliber of people the nation is producing leaders. Elvis is one of the honest Nigerian Young Men that the leadership of this nation can rest on their shoulders for a comparative competition with other nations of the world. With the like of Elvis Nigeria can be sure to be in the community of nations with world standards and better economic systems.
Tom Garba, FIMC, PSPS, FMBC
Journalist, Opinion Writer. Wrote this in NIPSS, Kuru Jos, Plateau State.
