Minutes of Meeting: Online
Forum of “The Making of a
New Nigeria” Members
What role can or should the youth play to bring about a positive
economic change in Nigeria today?
2/26/2010
Prepared by: Abosede Alimi
For: My New Nigeria Team.
Meeting Started
What made the difference in
your life as an individual?
Major highlights: Suggestions
on steps to be taken
10pm
• Determination to succeed
• Focus
• Passion to fulfill destiny
• God’s strength and guidance
• Mentors (organizations and people)
• Avoiding an attitude of self-pity
• A willingness to give
• Selflessness
• Clear vision
• Character
• Access to the right information
• Create a platform for brainstorming on
solutions and ideas
• Initiative to improve the reading culture
in Nigeria (the right information is
strategic to economic growth)
• Joint efforts to start Companies that can
create employment for the youth of the
nation
• Use the media to promote change and
values amongst citizens especially
portraying young people as potential
change makers
• Mentoring to help guide the young and
give them a head start
• Developing soft skills in the youth e.g.
listening, public speaking, inter-personal
relationship skills, negotiation skills,
improved self-esteem
• Introduce financial intelligence into
educational/school curriculums to help
re-orientate the younger generation
 about money
• Encourage partnership between the
public and private sector where it will
benefit the mass of the people more
• The masses in Nigeria need economic
liberation to be able to make the right
choice
• Educating the young on the importance
of good governance and leadership
•
How can we help others? • First of all, we need to make sure we are
helping people who genuinely want to be
helped because only then will we be
fruitful
• We should start from where we are, so
each of us from our area of influence
e.g. your household or neighborhood
• Provide as many options for young
people so they always have access to
the right choices
• Creating access to resources (these
resources could be books, equipment to
start a business or knowledge/skill to do
something)
What can we do? • “Micro changes leading to the macro
change or macro change that will sweep
through the country via a major platform”
• First be the change for others to see
(equip ourselves with transferable skills)
• Educate the people
• Provide leadership and guidance
• Act more and talk less. But how?
• Try hard to kill the ‘tribe mentality’
Way forward • The Making of a New Nigeria can evolve
into a conference where young people
gather to proffer and plan for workable
and practical solutions to bring about a
New Nigeria
• Operate in pockets of teams globally to
transfer skills to those who do not have
• Collaborate with entrepreneurs to create
jobs for the unemployed
• The use of technology (software and
hardware)
• Provide a platform to empower and
improve raw talent as a way of creating
financial independence
Meeting ended 12.48am