AKWAABA ’23: Ibru urges youths to Pursue passion
The publisher of Nigeria’s flagship Newspaper, the Guardian, Mrs. Maiden Ibru has advised the youths to focus on what they have interest in.
This is just as she urged everyone to embark on a walk everyday to enhance their health status.
Mrs. Ibru who gave the advice at the Day Two of ongoing 19th Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos with the theme: Africa Travel 100 Under 40 Awards, said, they should avoid juggling two businesses because it is not worth it.
She also urged the youths to also look at partnering with other business minded people but not with a friend because that friendship may go sour, adding that, they can trust themselves but not 100% trust for a friend.
Mrs. Ibru therefore listed four rules to guide the youths in starting a business and how they can gain the trust and respect of their employees.
These include the planning stage, “what do you want to do. The second stage is execute the plan and the other two key things are monitoring and control”.
“Treat your workers well, don’t use abusive words, If you don’t treat those people well, they really can do a lot of havoc. Treat everybody with dignity and if anybody offends you or they do something wrong, accept their apologizes and don’t go back to that matter again”.
In his opening remarks, the organizer of Akwaaba, Ambassador Ikech Uko emphasized on the grooming and mentoring of the younger generation in sustaining the travel and tourism market.
He noted that, the older generation should realize that, one day, they would exit the scene to pave way for the new generation to bring in new ideas to revolutionize the market, adding, they should start encouraging them now to achieve perhaps the dream they could not achieve in their time.
Amb. Uko said, it was unfortunate that, when they called for nominations for awards from different countries, the reply received was disheartening
“For the nomination, we relied on those who have been recognized and I ask them, can you nominate people in your country that you think are pioneers, inspirational, we gave them our terms and conditions and criteria. Unfortunately, most countries couldn’t nominate one person, I didn’t just ask one person I asked like ten”.
He added, “Why is it there is nobody here, they say, the young ones, I don’t think they deserve it, I don’t think they are good enough, they are not detailed, everybody had complains. I dwelt on that and ask them, if the young ones are not good enough, how many did you mentor, can you tell me one person that you mentored, tell me someone you have groomed that can take over. If those of us who pioneered this in Africa, if we walk away who takes over?”.
Amb. Uko expressed concern that, the next generation of Africa problem is real, stressing that, the problem is not the problem of the youths, it is the problem of those who had gone through those doors and paid the price.
“But how many people are we leading to walk into the place in the future. Who takes over from us, that is the problem”.
He congratulated the winners of the awards and urged the youths not to be discouraged but to be inspired and not tire out in what they are doing even if it is not rewarding now.
“Africa has to grow and for the young ones here, I need you to be inspired. I know it is difficult, you can be in an Industry it doesn’t reward you, it never rewarded you for a long time”.
“Those of you who have been chosen, won the awards, you are the lucky ones, a lot of your peers nobody was willing to nominate them or endorse them. There are nominations we got, when I sent them to those leaders in those countries, they said I don’t think these people deserve this awards so, we have to cancel some and it is unfortunate”.
Highlights of the Day Two was the presentation of awards to the Travel Market 100 under 40.
