Hamza Ibrahim Chinade.

Inspiring Leadership Reflection Interactive Series (ILERIS) is a monthly youths mentoring and inspiring session of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD),  normally successful people from different fields, backgrounds and professions are invited to come and directly interact with staff, interns and volunteers of the organization alongside other civil society activists and students of tertiary institutions so that they can learn from the experience, struggles, successes and failures of the invited guests. Every month, one or two guests are invited for the inspiring session.

This month, CITAD hosts a human rights and social justice advocate Ms. Ene Obi who is also the Governance Team Leader with ActionAid International, Arusha Tanzania. In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of the organization, Dr. Yunusa Zakari Ya’u thanked Ms. Ene for honouring the invitation extended to her stressing that the forum is meant to serve an as inspiring and mentoring ground for especially young people and that is the reason guests of rich profile are brought in order to add value to the lives of the participating youths.  

In her presentation, the guest Ms. Ene Obi took the participants into her interesting profile beginning with students unionism and activism at the University of Jos where she became the President of the Students Union Government amidst series of challenges and struggles during the military government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida before advancing to labour union, human rights activism, social justice and as well as giving back to the society. Resuscitating the spirit of nationalism and determination in the youths for societal development, Ms. Ene cautioned the participants from engaging in insincere acts no matter how beautiful they may appeal. She shared her career experiences revealing strengths and weaknesses of certain actions and how they can help the participants in guiding their future to a better direction. Advising the participants on corruption and morality, Ms. Ene said “no religion preaches stealing, the face of religion is the face of morality, don’t ever take what does not belong to you, when you have wealth share with others and always use the little you have to assist those in need”.

The guest responded to questions and comments raised by the participants before Mal. Isa Garba (Senior Programme Officer, Peace and Conflict) gave a vote of thanks. The event ended with a celebration of Valentine’s Day where the Ms. Ene Obi, ED of CITAD and the participants cut and enjoyed a special cake and chocolates. Ms. Ene Obi was presented with some publications of the organization by Fatimah Ibrahim.

By Hamza Ibrahim Chinade.

As part of it’s shaping and mentoring initiatives of the lives of young people to becoming great achievers, the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has since last year been organizing a monthly Inspiring Leadership Reflection Series (ILERIS) with her staff, interns, volunteers, university students and other teeming young people around the civil society circle in attendance. Every month the center hosts a resource person for an interactive session with the young male and female participants with a view to making them learn directly from the experience and struggles of the resource person. This month the guest speaker is Prof. Amina Kaidal of the University of Maiduguri.

Giving an opening remark, the Executive Director of the organization Dr. Yunusa Zakari Ya’u cautioned the participants not to just listen and forget the deliberations, but be attentively focused, learn and apply lessons that will take their lives to a greater height. He further said “this is our youths development programme, it is not a skill-based programme but a programme meant to inspire you (the participants) to discover your worth and to discover how you can work to achieve your own objectives, our objective in this is to inspire you not by promising you the best cars in town, the best house in the world, or the best wife or husband but by showcasing people who have worked hard in their lives and who have achieved greatness in what they are doing so that the inspire you to also think of excelling, and to even excel better than the people that we present to you here.”

Facilitating the session, the guest speaker for the month of January Prof. Amina Kaidal of the Department of Physical and Health Education of the University of Maiduguri began by expressing her joy for being given the chance to meet young people in order to offer her experience so that they emulate and excel too. Thereafter she stimulated the participants with a number of hints for managing or avoiding failures, challenges and struggles that life has to offer while pointing out the secrets of success and excelling in any activity. Prof. Kaidal emphasized the role of education in the lives of youths, noting that the youths of today needed education that exposes them to practical experience rather than ‘paper education’. Prof. Kaidal said “if you believe in something, pursue it with all sincerity, make yourself somebody so that you become somebody, don’t downgrade yourself so that you will not be downgraded by other people, an educated woman stands out differently even in a family setting”, therefore, youths need to explore all avenues possible to be able to excel too using determination as a driving force.

After the presentation by the guest speaker, participants made comments and asked many questions ranging from her major obstacles as a woman and housewife, academic challenge, how to handle tough moments, the need for elaboration on many quotes she used during the session etc, the presenter responded to all the questions and comments explicitly. The session ended with a closing remark by Senior Programmes Officer Kabiru Saidu Dakata and presentation of some publications of the organization to the guest speaker by Head of Human Resource Ado Shehu Yakasai.

The monthly Inspiring Leadership Reflection and Interaction Series of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) yesterday hosted Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi MFR as the Guest Speaker for the month of December. In his introductory speech, CITAD’s Senior Program Officer Peace and Conflict Resolution, Malam Isah Garba, said that Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi is the administrative and programme head of WRAPA responsible for the general administration of the organization at the national level. She is responsible for programme design and sourcing funding for programme work. Isah said that Hajiya has to her credit published over 20 and unpublished presentations on violence against women.

As the year 2016 gradually comes to an end, the monthly Inspiring Leadership Reflection Series (ILERIS) of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has featured Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Bello, the Accountant General of Kano state as November personality and guest speaker. The forum which normally draws participants from the staff of the center, volunteers and interns, civil society organizations, youths activists and students comprising male and female serve as an inspirational ground where participants listen to presentations by the guest(s) and subsequently learn and seek direction towards shaping their own goals, ambitions and aspirations by asking questions or making comments and observations.

In his opening remarks, Executive Director of the center, Dr. Yunusa Zakari Ya’u noted that so far ten personalities from different backgrounds with robust experience, skills and expertise have graced the monthly event at various points. YZ Ya’u said “many people never think that the successful people they see are people who have risen through the rank, through hard work, through focus to specific goals, determination and so fort. Let people not be deceived by the fact that life is easy, life is a struggle and success comes through hard work, the monthly interactive session normally bring people who excelled in their career to personally talk about their challenges, failures,  and successes, so that the youths can get direction and reinforcement.”

Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Bello began her presentation by thanking Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) for coming up with the monthly interactive session saying it’s a privilege to be invited to share her experience especially with youths, she said guidance and counseling are very important particularly to leaders of tomorrow. Life is shaped by a number of factors and one has to be determined to be successful. Elaborating on the secrets of excelling in life, Hajiya Aisha said “always set your goals early, know what you want and work towards it, learn to earn trust, learn to keep it and always try to put a smile on the face of others”.  A woman can combine studies with work and home responsibilities, the secret according to the Accountant General is, first, a woman should never look at her mother-in-law as mother-in-law, but as a mother, treat her with the necessary respect, love and care, that will in return be of immense help to you as a housewife. Cautioning the participants on proper utilization of time, Hajiya Aisha said, “no time in life is late for anybody to do anything, there is always a beginning, what is important is planning, vision and projection”, at 30 years I had my Master’s Degree, became a Deputy Manger in the bank and had four children. The 51 year old financial expert has a 23 years banking industry background, she has held many managerial and administrative positions in First Bank and Habib Bank, until her appointment as General of Kano state by Governor  Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Bello was the Commissioner of Budget and Planning.

On finishing the presentation, the session turned highly interactive as participants raised many questions, made comments, some of the questions and comments were: how the presenter was able to handle family issues, studies and work as demanding as bank job, the major challenges she faced, how she overcome them, how best to choose a career etc. The Inspiring Leadership Reflection Series (ILERIS) ended with a vote of thanks by Training Coordinator Malam Ahmad Yakasai who thanked the speaker for finding time to share with the participants her invaluable experience and advised them to efficiently utilize the knowledge they acquire in the profile of the presenter. Harira Ahmad Wakili presented some publications of CITAD to Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Bello.  

Participants with the Executive Director Dr. YZ Ya’u and the guest speaker Hajiya Aisha M. Bello  in a group photo after the November ILERIS                         Courtesy: CITAD Media Unit

The monthly leadership inspiring and mentorship initiative of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), better termed as ILERIS (Inspiring Leadership Reflection Series) has featured Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture Kano state as the personality for the month of October. Every month CITAD invites a personality who has skills, experiences and achievements that can be emulated by its staff and other youths with a view to shaping their lives and their commitments so that they excel in their numerous endavours. Participants normally listen to the guests make their presentations about their lives experiences, successes, challenges, opportunities and later on interact and deliberate in order to explore for themselves certain strengths, advantages as well take caution against failures and obstacles.

Giving an opening remark, the Executive Director of Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Dr. Yunusa Zakari Ya’u said “the center has over the years been focusing on youths development programs and we thought that one of the ways you can develop young people is to get people who have rich experience to share with young people their successes, problems, principles, the ways in which they tackle problems when they arise, lessons they would have learned as they grow up and so forth, so that young people in particular can be inspired to want to go and even surpass people that they listen to, that is the reason we get someone with credible history and experience to come and talk about himself after which the participants ask questions’’.

In his presentation, Dr Gawuna observed that it is a great honour for him to be invited to directly interact with young people and hopes his biography will inspire the participants. The 49 year old commissioner is a biochemist by profession who has eventually ventured into agricultural activities and politics, being a staunch sports lover he is presently the National President of Youths Sports Federation which was established back in 1965. He said “as a child I hated school but my parents insisted in ensuring that I go to school, today I realized the idea behind that, I can still remember two things my father taught me, one is to be as truthful as possible in whatever I do, and the second is to be as helpful as possible’’. He said the patent medicine store that his father established inspired his brother to become a graduate of pharmacy from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria while he graduated from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto as a Biochemist, which simply became a large family business.

After working with Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Kano state Hospitals Management Board as Lab technologist at Nasarawa Hospital, Gawuna’s interest in business led him and a friend into establishing a logistics company that deals with cargo and technical assistance on aircraft called Millennium Aviation. He later succumbed to pressure and finally became a politician which made him Nasarawa Local Government chairman for eight years and commissioner of agriculture in the previous administration, the position present administration also appointed him since its inception.

Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna has energized the participants with several inspirational experiences and entertained many questions, he said “faith, believe and the strength of your will always get you to where you want to be, in as much as you try to be as honest as possible”.

The inspiring leadership reflection series ended with a presentation of publications of CITAD to the guest by human resources officer of the organization Malam Ado Shehu Yakasai, and a vote of thanks by training coordinator Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai who advised the participants to practicalise the lessons they learned from the interactive session. Participants at the event included staff of CITAD, regional manager of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and other staff, Manager Environmental Registration Council of Nigeria, Northwest University, Federal University Dutse, United Action for Democracy, Northwest University Students for Peace, Kurmawa Youth Development Association, Harlem Engineering, Mufarka, Tudun Yola Youth for Peace, KAYCAD and many other young people.