ASUU Strike: Engaging the Idling Students. Students in training. KUNLE ADEWALE WRITES ABOUT AN ORGANISATION THAT IS CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN KEEPING IDLING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BUSY AS ASUU STRIKE CONTINUES. Students from various universities in the country took advantage of the current face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government to develop themselves on the science of event planning aside their various disciplines. ASUU, it will be recalled, embarked on an indefinite strike since July 1, to press home demands for implementation of agreement reached with the Federal Government in 2009. With about 50 students in attendance, the training put together by Skot Events and tagged: “Train the Trainers workshop” took place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. Speaking after the one week training programme, the Chief Executive Officer (CE0) of the organisation, Kehinde Ajao, said the initiative was prompted by the passion to develop entrepreneurs among the current generation of youths in order to ease the rate of unemployment in the country. She said: “We are passionate about bringing the best out of the average Nigerian youth. We have so many youths who are gifted in this country but they need to be guided and this we are trying to do with this training to help them discover the potentials of event planning and management. “The programme was fixed at this period because of the ASSU strike. We discovered that when these students are idle they get involved in social vices that will be detrimental to their well-being. There’s a popular saying that ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,’ So, we encourage them to add value to themselves instead of destroying their future, especially the ladies, who will see the compulsory break as an avenue to get pregnant and bring unwanted children to the world. She said the vocation has the ability to create job opportunities for the participants after school, especially now that jobs are scarce. “There is this passion to train people and make them better citizens in the future. We make them understand that for them to be successful entrepreneurs they must develop the passion for what they do, imbibe the needed drive and objectivity, and above all be creative. Event planning is all about being creative, maintaining a level of trustworthiness, and integrity. Sharing her experience, one of the students, Soyemi Oluwaseun, in the cause of the training, said she developed love for the ushering and decoration aspect of event planning. “It was an effort that was worthwhile. I want to say that I enjoyed every aspect of training. I have made up my mind to earn a living from event planning after my programme in school,” she said. But for Tobi Taiwo: “I didn’t expect to learn this much, fortunately I have learnt a lot. I am seeing event planning in a different and classy way now. We are in a competitive world and you must make yourself distinct” she said. Another student, Kemi Adetore, said she learnt new techniques and tactics that are in line with her discipline as a Mass Communication student. “When I heard about the event I thought it was an opportunity to just get ushering job, make money to foot some bills, but I discovered that I can achieve more through event planning,” she said. The next edition of the quarterly programme will be held at the same venue in October. Source: THISDAY live. The strike is still on.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:00:55 +0000
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