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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The 234 Project, a Nigerian nongovernmental organisation, has drawn attention to the importance of unlocking the potential of young learners, stating that doing so would be beneficial for the society at large.
Co-founders, Akin Akinboro and Mobolaji Sokunbi, established The 234 Project in 2016 as a 100 per cent pro-Nigerian NGO, motivated by their desire to invest their time and efforts in Nigerian youths, who are passionate about making an impact in their communities.
The organisation has embarked on Impact Tour’23, which aims to reach out to youth across Nigeria via diverse socio-economic projects. Transforming minds and unlocking potential have been the driving force of The 234 Project since its establishment.
The co-founders in a statement, which they made available to journalists in Ibadan on Monday, said: “We were quite tired of the negative stories and narratives of Nigeria and Nigerians and we believed that in order to share a different tale, we need to invest our time and efforts in Nigerian youths who are passionate about making an impact in their communities and whose contributions will paint a different picture of the country and her people”.
The Programme Manager of The 234 Project, Ifeoluwa Oyebisi, further shared in a statement issued shortly on the organization’s Impact Tour’23 to reach out to youth across Nigeria via diverse socio-economic projects.
The statement read in parts, “Transforming minds and unlocking potential have been the anchor words of The 234 Project since it was established in 2016 as an NGO that is committed to empowering young Nigerians to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation and to showcase the richness of our heritage and culture.
“Year after year, The 234 Project creates opportunities for young Nigerians to ideate, innovate and serve with the sole purpose of equipping them to thrive beyond their socio-economic limitations. This year, The 234 Project embarked on Impact Tour’23 to reach out to youths across Nigeria via diverse socio-economic projects such as the innov8 Challenge, Employability Incubator, and the 234 Education Drive.”
“234 Innov8 Challenge: This ideation challenge for secondary schools actively kicked off in October 2022 with Intra-school competitions (first stage of the competition) that involved 4 regional NGOs across Nigeria- Southwest (Bramble Network, Oyo State), Southeast ( Stella-Maris Girls Foundation, Anambra State), South-south (Youth for Change Initiative, Akwa Ibom State) and North East (Hope and Awareness Foundation, Borno State). In partnership with these 4 NGOs, student participants were tasked to explore their creative wits and create solutions either in the arts, science, or tech domains.
“Five hundred and seventy-six students actively participated in the 234 Innov8 Challenge and following the 1st round, 144 students were selected across the 4 regions. The 144 students comprised the best 24 teams across the 4 regions and each team comprised 4 students.
24 teams went down to 6 teams at the inter-school stage, and the top 3 teams were selected at the final inter-region stage with the emergence of 234 Innov8 national winner, with the creation of an audio-controlled drone, students of Government Secondary School, Afaha Eket. Uyo, Akwa Ibom State emerged as the national winner of the 234 Innov8 Challenge. Overall, The 234 Project awarded 2.5 million in cash to the winners and participants of the 234 Project Challenge.”
“234 Community Impact Challenge 2.0: This is an ideation and impact challenge specifically designed for students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. With entries from 30 states and Abuja, we had the first stage and second stages of the project and rewarded winners accordingly. This project rounded off with a meritorious selection of 2 overall winners with N150,000 rewards each, and the other two impact winners with N25,000 rewards each.”
The statement listed Employability Incubator’23, a work-readiness programme implemented by The 234 Project in partnership with CampusLabs Nigeria, as one of its initiatives. This, it explained, had equipped over 250 fresh graduates and undergraduates with the needed skills to thrive in the workplace. ” It was all shades of amazing to see young Nigerians with a fresh vigor of service, and impact at the graduation event of Employability Incubator Uyo Cohort in Akwa Ibom State and the Lagos Luncheon with Employability Incubator’23 Ibadan Cohort in Oyo State. With a total of N8 Million, Employability Incubator’23 was an impact-generating success.”
“Also, through the 234 Education Drive, The 234 Project donated 450 copies of workbooks and notebooks to public primary schools in 6 states across Nigeria and we celebrate all our implementing partners for the success of this project. We appreciate all our partners, volunteers, and donors who relentlessly support The 234 Project’s mission to empower the next generation to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.”
Ifeoluwa Oyebisi, The 234 Project’s Programme Manager highlights the need to empower more young people to thrive beyond their socioeconomic limitations and calls for Nigerians all around the world to support The 234 Project’s mission to empower the next generation to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.
The organization is committed to empowering young Nigerians to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation while showcasing the richness of the country’s heritage and culture. The Innov8 Challenge, Employability Incubator, and the 234 Education Drive are among The 234 Project’s initiatives aimed at empowering young Nigerians.
The 234 Innov8 Challenge, an ideation challenge for secondary schools, officially kicked off in October 2022, with intra-school competitions that involved four regional NGOs across Nigeria. Through partnering with these four NGOs, student participants were given the task of exploring their creative wits and creating solutions in the arts, science, or tech domains. A total of 576 students actively participated in the challenge, with 144 students selected across the four regions. The 144 students consisted of the best 24 teams across the regions, with each team comprising four students.
At the inter-school stage, 24 teams were narrowed down to six, then three at the final inter-region stage. The audio-controlled drone developed by students of Government Secondary School, Afaha Eket, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State emerged as the national winner of the 234 Innov8 Challenge. Overall, The 234 Project awarded N2.5 million in cash to the winners and participants of the challenge.
