Raising New Voices Initiative has completed the fellowship for selected 31 young persons across all local government areas of Osun State.
Raising New Voices Fellowship is a leadership training initiative targeted at raising 774 leaders that will transform the country in nearest future.
The farewell session and certificate presentation was held in Osogbo on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
Speaking with InsightMedia, Convener of the group, Jude Feranmi Kolawole said the idea and objective of Raising New Voices Fellowship is to bring up new leaders that will develop the state and county at large. He added that the vision the group has for Nigeria in 2050 is to ensure that the everyone harness ideas towards having a Nigeria governed by creativity.
Kolawole said the programme started in March this year with intensive monthly training and classes for fellows. He said the fellows who were being presented with certificates of completion of the training have become transformation agents in their localities. He said “many of them have started organising programmes to step down the knowledge acquired while some have taken up leadership positions by joining active politics.
“The idea is to raising at least a leader in each of the 774 local government areas of the country. This will be agents of transforming Nigeria into what we all desires. We started this year with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung foundation in Germany and we have been able to complete this programme for these fellows this year.”
Speaking while on the panel session, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ismail Omipidan called on young persons to join active politics, stating that criticism on social media should be reduced to work towards solution.
Omipidan said, “We must divert more of our efforts into participation in real politics instead of social media. Many youths spend too much time on social media than participation in politics. Only few persons can be appointed without being a member of any political party, while no one can be elected without being a card-carrying member of a political party. Unless things change.
Omipidan charged youths to always engage among themselves and be ready to lobby when needed. He clarified that “lobbying doesn’t necessarily mean you give people money, engagement is also important.”
In his contribution at the programme, the lawmaker representing Obokun State constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewumi Adeyemi described leadership as process, stating that every aspiring leader must be show capacity at all times.
Adeyemi spoke on his transition from Students unionism to mainstream politics, which according to him is vision and character.
Also on the panel was Jamiu Ganiyu who admonished youth to identify loopholes and find ways of solving them. He said, “leadership is finding solutions problems. We must continue to identify issues and find the best ways to solve them.”
Others on the panel are Miss Opeyemi Oladunjoye (Oprah) and Dunsin Abimbola.
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Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the State, Yemi Lawal said youth inclusion in governance is the way to go. He stated that the Governor of Osun, Gboyega Oyetola having realised that has continued to put youth at the forefront of programmes of his administration.
Lawal said, “Youth inclusion in governance is the way to go. That’s why the administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola has been striving hard to achieve that. I can confirm to you that the Youth Development Commission bill has been assented to and very soon, implementation will commence for the betterment of Osun youth.”
The raising New Voices lead in Osun, Babawale Popoola said the organization has empowered individuals with prerequisite skills to excel in any given leadership position, stating that many of them will have shot at State and National legislative seats in 2023.
Other fellows who spoke with InsightMedia, Kabirat Babalola and Komolafe Ademola spoke on how the fellowship has helped in mouldings their skills and programmes they have undergone in the respective communities. 
