Imoke Pet Project To Ensure “No Child Chooses Between Education And Food”
FeaturedNigeria September 5, 2016 Dianabasi Effiong
Imoke
From Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Former Governor of Cross River, Sen. Liyel Imoke, has reassured that his pet project, the Bridge Leadership Foundation (TBLF), would ensure that “no child chooses between education and food”.
Imoke gave the assurance in Calabar at the sixth edition of the TBLF’s Career Day held at Calabar International Conference Centre with the theme “Building Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur”.
Imoke, who founded the TBLF in 2011, also said that his foundation’s focus in 2016 would be an in-school mentoring for indigent youths which would begin in September.
He said: “As part of our project for the year the 2016 TBLF in-school mentoring will commence in September.The Bridge Scholarship is an outreach project that provides scholarship to children from local communities who cannot afford to pay the fees, buy uniforms, books, bags and sandals required to attend schools.
“To this end we will be expanding this project to cover more students than we did last year. I solicit that you join me in this laudable project to ensure that “no child chooses between education and food.”
He said the Career Day event provided a valuable opportunity for young people to be inspired by stories of young Africans who have had to overcome the hurdles of growing up to be successful.
Imoke said the event also provided an opportunity for young people to engage in meaningful discourse for solutions to the complex, very relevant and most pressing challenges of today’s world.
According to him the TBLF has been raising a generation of thoughtful and transformational leaders and advocating for the development of young people through education, mentoring, career and entrepreneurship development.
Imoke said his foundation would continue in its vision “to raise a community of inspired, equipped and influential young leaders, who lead themselves and others’’.
Mr Ubong King, who delivered a keynote address on the theme “Building Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs’’ said that the Problem with Africa, Nigeria, Cross River is free food and dependency
He urged the young people to learn to take responsibility, think creatively and make use of ideas available within a competitive environment that the world had presented.
He said that his growing up years were not fantastic because he lost his father but refused give up the desire to succeed against odds and take his destiny in his hands.
He said that now that he had succeeded in life he would continue to inspire others especially young to wake up and start running because laziness would always hold them back.
He said there were no reasons for young people to become slaves to jobs.
“The difference between a vulture and an eagle is appetite. If you are depending on 30 days for salary, you have a vulture mentality. The eagle hunts its own food.
“At all stages of my transformation. I used the professional social network; identified competition; created products to meet my target; Learnt to sell locally and internationally. I used Information Technology; grew my network strategically and purposefully; and stay legally compliant to government agencies. I looked at competition and watched them.
“I bought a ship in 2015 without bank funds. I refused to accept the Hold Down syndrome. If you want to change your future, change your friends. It is time to make it happen,” he said.
He also advised the young people that nothing comes easy in life and that there is no reason a Nigerian should be broke
“Whenever you see the Glory, always ask for the Story,” he said.
King is the Group Managing Director, Protection Plus Services Limited, a Lagos State-based corporate security company.
Dianabasi Effiong
