Emulate Rotimi Amaechi’s Leadership, Learn A Skill, Okere Tells Nigerian Youth
Engr. Augustus Okere, an Imo born politician has called on Nigerian Youth to emulate the character and leadership style of the Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi.
Okere made the call, Tuesday, while speaking on the place of the youth in national development and the strategic importance of mentorship for guidance.
Narrating his ordeal after serving the father land under National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC), Engr. Okere said he had passed Shell Petroleum employment test but was shocked to be refused a place because the man in charge from the same state with him felt that his family background did not ring a bell.
“It was a painful and traumatic experience but I never gave up. In engineering today, I have done well. I have never worked for any company. I have been in private practice and when I looked back to that experience, I conclude that we need one another to succeed but God and one’s resolve to survive are the greatest factors. Some of our youth are in this category but you must not give up.
“I am a leader today not yet as a governor but by the number of lives I have touched and my contributions to the sector I ply my trade,” he stated.
He said he was happy with the theme of the recently celebrated International Youth Day, which is, ‘Engagement of Youth for Global Action’.
He said the theme for the recent event was carefully selected, revealing the problem with the Nigerian state where the youth are not sufficiently engaged to contribute to the development of their communities, States and Country at large.
He also urged every youth to learn a skill, saying that whatever education attainment, skill remains very important to the survival of people.
He hammered on the need for people to learn skills that are related to what they love doing. “I believe that everyone has been blessed by God with a talent. Going through training to perfect those talents is part of skill acquisition. There are people who love cooking. Perfect that by going to catering school. It is a fact that people excel more in things they love doing.
“For us in Engineering, it is all about skills. Everything you learn in Engineering is practical skill acquisition. Medical sciences or art of medicine is about learning principles and learning the needed skills to deliver.”
Speaking on mentoring, Okere stressed on the need for good leaders to ensure they mentor youngsters around them. He said mentoring can be direct or indirect, insisting that first aspect of mentoring is character. “Anybody who calls himself a leader will be announced by his character.”
He therefore used Minister of Transportation as a man who has shown resilience, focus and quality leadership. “Hon. Rotimi Amaechi is another young leader I will encourage every youth to learn from. His background was not that of silver spoon but he was still able to live above board. Today, he remains one of the few leaders whose words can be taken to the bank.
“He has risen from that humble background to where he is today and he has not changed from who he is. I beg our youth not to ever learn from those self acclaimed leaders who speak from both sides of the mouth because of money and power. He has remained consistent and when he says no, it is no. Don’t allow yourself to be a tool of destruction in the hands of desperate politicians. Amaechi is a standard for any youth who wishes to be properly guided and get to where envisions to be. In the area of empowerment of youths, he has done well because be believes in the future.”
