PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Youth urged to unite for Nigeria’s Development

Date: March 18, 2009
Venue: Abuja

CPAO Atim Eneida George delivering the lecture | Full size

On Wednesday, March 18, 2009 approximately 1,000 recent graduates of Nigerian universities attended a program on nation-building held at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja.  Serving as guest speaker, U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs, Ms. Atim Eneida George used the opportunity to encourage her audience to participate in Nigeria’s development.  She admonished the assembled Nigerian youth to get involved in strengthening the country’s institutions. Her talk titled “The Power of Citizen Driven Development” addressed the importance of association, advocacy, agency, compassion, and sweat equity as tools for development. She stressed that the freedom of association, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights as well as the U.S. and Nigerian constitutions, forms the bedrock of civil society, an essential ingredient in the democratic dispensation.

The seminar was organized by the Re-Image Nigeria Project, the brain child of Ndubuisi Nduwhite, a young artist who frequently partners with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy. Mr. Nduwhite is working with youth groups and other organizations to change the negative perception of Nigeria both inside and outside the country