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Where will the world be without young people? They are the replenishment for grizzled humanity, even though they may not always be aware of this.
But as there is a time for everything under the sun so is there a time for idyllic youth. Not much care, or so jaded adults think; just a time to prepare for the time when the cares that will come must come.
In today’s world, too many young people, for all sorts of reasons, are having to fend for themselves from very early in life. For some of them, there’s a heightened need to support humanity and create the needed value.
And because adult responsibilities are coming much earlier, there’s a need for some third force, not necessarily connected to the family or government, to help begin to prepare the young ones a lot earlier as well to empower them with shoulders broad enough for the weight the real world deals. These are the allies the young cannot do without.
As in the words of that much loved Liverpool FC anthem, they do not walk alone. Right there with them, for the chosen few among them, is Seplat Energy, a leading Nigerian energy company listed on the Nigerian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange .
It is fully embedded with the Conversations for Change (C4C), an NGO, in the C4C-Seplat Energy Global Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme. And the reason is clear: Seplat Energy is fully conversant with the wide spectrum of the potential energy of youth, especially the Nigerian youth.
The statistics tell a better story of Nigeria’s youth bulge. According to “Worldometer”, a reference website that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics, as of August 25, 2022, Nigeria’s population stood at 217,079,601. Of this number, youths account for fully 70 per cent – 151 million. And 42 percent of that 70 per cent is under the age of 15.
Clearly, therefore, Nigeria is a young people’s country. And to be clearer, most of these young people are burning with ambitions to make something of themselves and of their time here. Unfortunately, the terrain is a tough one and they are in dire need of adults who can ensure they walk guided.
Seplat Energy long saw the need to harness the potential of Nigeria’s youth. So, aside from the many other things they do to advance this, the Seplat Energy/C4C initiative boils right down to brass tacks.
Young Nigerians need to be financially independent, driving their own lives, based on the big dreams they are incubating for entrepreneurial success. They want to ‘blow’ based on a proven system that works.
The gap for guidance and a systems orientation was what Seplat saw and decided to jump in alongside C4C to make adequate provisions that meet those needs. Friday, December 16, 2022, was the culmination of this effort for 22 young people who, that day, as they graduated from the Seplat Energy and Conversations 4 Change Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, beamed their pride and hopes in broad smiles.
Venue and graduates were abuzz with excitement, the ignited dreams of the youngsters shone and lit up the whole place. There are still ways to go, and lots of ground to cover, of course, but they had hit a major milestone in their individual ideations of their future.
Their dreams had been pronounced valid. And they were rearing to go. The 22 young and ambitious Nigerians who had successfully scaled the daunting process of the Business Plans presentation of the 2022 C4C Global Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme, were on that day given their marching orders, and with provisions fully made (based on their proposals), to ensure that the burgeoning dreams they had had for some time would come alive with the right amount of support, and be guided via financial and mentorship leverage to success.
On the day they presented their business plans, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, the director, external affairs and sustainability, Seplat Energy, thanked the young entrepreneurs and C4C, making the point that the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme aligned with one of the five pillars of Seplat’s CSR. And what are those pillars? United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 1, which is poverty eradication; in addition to the SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 4 (quality education), and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth). The empowered entrepreneurs and their businesses are: Oluyemi Oyinleye (café business); Pauline Musa (catering); Maryam Musa (spices); Mary Oteikwu (fish drying); Justin Agbo (fashion); Joseph Agu (fashion); Chizoba Okolo (fashion/fabric sales); Adebola Olamide Greatness (fashion); Regina Etuka (fashion); Blessing Gabriel (bag-making); Princess Esther Samuel (shoemaking); and Emmanuel Ogwuche (footwear).
Others are: Nancy Otokina (confectioneries); Adeola Samuel (confectioneries); Gladys Emuh (agro processing); Patience Sunday (palm oil production); Brume Aina (herbal skincare); Bright Bello (salon and spa); Ogechi Iwuanyanwu (plants and flowers); Olufunbi Akinyemi (gift curator); Benedict Gabriel (photography); and Stephen Ahor (laundry services).
The beneficiaries from the programme have been equipped to begin their business empires, which are expected to grow and flourish as well as provide support to not just themselves and their families but also to communities, countries and indeed the world. Speaking to the entrepreneurs at the ceremony held in Abuja on Friday, Dr. Nwachuku said: “You are indeed equipped for your next phase in your various enterprises. Thanks to C4C and to Seplat Energy for enriching you with the knowledge and competencies you need to grow your business. The greater appreciation and kudos, however, goes to you, for having the capacity to establish your thriving enterprise.
“Congratulations dear C4C-Seplat Global Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme 2022 graduates. We are happy at Seplat Energy to play a big role in changing the narrative of the Nigerian youth. You are no longer the leaders of tomorrow, rather, with the empowerment you have received over the year, you are the change agent of your generation. We are quite elated with the level of creativity and passion you all exhibited and, truly, the sky will not be your limit.
“Empowerment is one of the strong pillars on which Seplat Energy is addressing social challenges in Nigeria, particularly Sustainable Development Goals’ 1, 2 and 8 on no poverty, zero hunger and decent work and economic growth. We believe that as soon as these critical SDGs are addressed, other things will follow.
“In this regard, we felicitate also with Conversations for Change, our visionary partners on this journey, for a great job well done. Dear 2022 graduates, we have great confidence in your ability to further excel. Congratulations, and we pray to your continued success.”
Responding, the president/founder, C4C, Dr. Kechi F. Ogbuagu, thanked Seplat Energy for the invaluable support over the years while pledging C4C’s resolve to the empowerment of the youth population to drive national economic prosperity.
Dr. Ogbuagu explained: “C4C is a non-profit organisation with a major objective of empowering young people to participate more effectively in all relevant areas of development.
“Efforts are focused on young people aged 18 to 40, in the belief that they are ready to embark on being valuable and creative members of their society and, therefore, are most in need of the inspiration, empowerment, guidance and support to do so.”
The entrepreneurs thanked Seplat Energy and C4C for the huge investment in their future and wished both organisations the best of success in all their endeavours.
Two presentations of interest were from Blessing Gabriel who used various materials, including waste, to make bags; and Ogechi Iwuanyanwu who presented plants and flowers for different uses.
As is immediately evident, these are not rocket science businesses. Just services sought after by many and with a guaranteed customer base, if well managed. Don’t forget that the business plan segment involved training and mentorship programmes that extend well beyond the life of the physical programme. The candidates draw on a deep well of knowledge from individuals who have pledged to be by them if they hit those bumps that are inevitable for anyone navigating entrepreneurship.
Dr. Nwachuku had succinctly clarified at the 2021 graduation that “the vision of this initiative is to create a world where young people/minds are inspired, motivated and empowered to find their niche in society and use their skills and talents in improving their societies/countries and indeed their world. In doing this, day-to-day items and wastes are converted to wealth, thus promoting a sustainable world.”
At that same event referenced above, the CEO, Seplat Energy, Mr. Roger Brown, had described the C4C-Seplat Global Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme as “a long-term effort to invest in the next generation of leaders, through creating a vibrant platform for continuing information provision, dialogue and discussions.”
He also added that “through these and other strategies, the initiative would inspire, encourage and support young people to become active partners in the development and leadership of their communities, societies, nations and indeed the world.”
The goodwill message from Seplat Energy at the 2022 graduation aptly captured the sentiment at the company on the occasion of the empowerment of 22 young Nigerians to go fulfil their dreams of providing services that not only make them feel fulfilled but also ones that enrich their communities. That is a point well known in development circles and in the general arena of wisdom and wise sayings. Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. But teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Everybody knows that. And yes, there is a time to feed people so they can just survive and be able to live another day, but that is not, in the long run, sustainable. Sustainability comes from marketable expertise that can keep putting food on the table day after day, an expertise or knowledge that is transferrable to future generations.
When a corporate organisation decides on empowerment as a way of expressing its corporate social responsibility ethos, its immediate and wider communities derive greater value from the very act of goodwill dispensed and thereafter from the output of the individuals being put to work under guidance for greater results.
At the heart of all of this is the idea of sustainability, of devolution of development, one which says it is not up to government alone, but rather one for organisations with proven capacity for adding value to communities. It’s also about devolution of development in the sense that those who are today empowered will in turn empower others with the knowledge and resources that their own empowerment avails them.
Seplat Energy and its partner Conversations for Change (C4C) are doing for the young people of Nigeria what they have yearned and longed for all these many years. One has no doubt that competition is keen for slots in the program.
Opportunities like this are limited despite the abundance of ideas and the drive required to push those ideas. The two critical things usually lacking are the financial enablement to get the dream off the ground and tested knowledge which if applied is capable of keeping businesses running and profitable. A good number of young Nigerians take the plunge anyhow with a good dose of faith and hope, (and sometimes hype), believing that they have the innate resilience to pull through the inevitable headwinds entrepreneurs usually run into.
This is, sadly, hardly ever the case. The mortality rate for MSMEs is massive. It is estimated that 96% of businesses fail after 10 years in Nigeria. But with entrepreneurship programs such as Seplat’s, there’s a greater certainty that businesses and managers can improve and gain operational efficiencies which enable their business longevity.
While congratulating the latest graduands of the C4C-Seplat Global Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme, the hope is that their endeavours will benefit maximally and sustainably from this initiative. That would be the only way to repay the favour done them by Seplat Energy.
