Of Talent and Character -By Olusegun Adeniyi

Something remarkable happened at the 4th edition of the annual Teens Career Conference organized by my church, The Everlasting Arms Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Abuja last Saturday. For the morning session, following on the success of last year, we decided to break the conference into 18 discussion groups with a maximum of 50 participants in each. With ‘Nurturing your talent; developing your character’ as theme, we settled for three quotes as topics for the breakout sessions. One, “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work” by Emile Zola. Two, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost but when character is lost, all is lost” by Billy Graham. Three, “Talent is a gift but character is a choice” by John Maxwell.

With each group moderated by a respected professional from our church, the teenagers were to discuss the topics at the end of which they would select someone to present their report to the larger audience. Quite naturally, each group nominated the person they considered their best to represent them. As it turned out, in one of the groups, that best happened to be a Muslim and despite knowing the faith he professes (which he didn’t hide), his colleagues had no hesitation nominating Ibrahim Lawan Ahmed to present their views to the larger congregation.

Ibrahim was in my office on Monday and we had an interesting chat. He read political science at the Bayero University, Kano and said he registered for the conference after reading about it on this page. But as he told me, his nomination to represent his group last Saturday surprised him. “‘This is a Church programme’ I exclaimed but they all said it didn’t matter”, said Ibrahim whose presentation was applauded because he drew from both Christianity and Islam to make his point about the importance of nurturing talent and developing character.

The annual conference which draws teenagers from Abuja and environs was conceived to, among other objectives, teach them to take responsibility for their future, have their imagination fired up through interaction with accomplished professionals in the society, make them realize that no matter the odds they can reach their goals; and also get them to understand that God still intervenes in the affairs of men. But we also made it clear from the outset that we would not turn back anybody who may wish to attend on account of their faith and we have stayed true to that.

Last Saturday, we had two accomplished personalities for the afternoon session: Popular comedienne, Dr Helen Paul and the governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi. Both speakers harped on character development through consistency, diligence and what is done when no one is watching. Helen Paul, who shared the story of the circumstances surrounding her birth and how some of the people she looked up to used that against her, admonished the teenagers to believe in their dreams no matter what anybody says. “Follow the right people and they would show you the way but you must also keep learning and keep reading while holding on to enduring values”, said Helen Paul.

In his presentation, Dr Kayode Fayemi shared ten principles, five on how the teenagers can nurture their talents and five on how they can develop their character, while urging them to delay gratification. “What are the moral codes that we have chosen to live our lives by? My advice to you is to define the values that work for you, write them down, and find somewhere in your room to stick the list up to remind you every single day”, Fayemi told the audience.

Even though we started small, there is no longer any doubt that the Abuja Teens Career Conference scheduled for August every year has come to stay. At the maiden edition in 2016, our speakers were: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) chair, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, then PenCom Director General, Mrs Chinelo Anohu-Amazu and the grandfather of contemporary comedy in Nigeria, Mr Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba around whom we built the theme: ‘Your Life, Your Future, Not a Laughing Matter!’

In the second edition held in August 2017, we had the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the late former Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Mrs Charity Shekari, former Education Minister, Mrs Oby Ezewesili and veteran actor, Mr Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD). The theme was, ‘Life is a Stage’. And last year, with ‘If you can dream it, you can make it happen’ as theme, our speakers were Mrs Folorunsho Alakija of Famfa Oil; then House of Representatives Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara; Deputy European Union Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Robert Young and social media influencer, Mr JJ Omojuwa, whose new book on digital wealth creation is as compelling as it is inspiring.

Incidentally, when we started four years ago, it was very tough getting teenagers to register for the conference. I personally had to go from one youth group in Abuja to another, pleading with them to let their members register and I will never forget one unpleasant experience. However, interest has grown over the years such that many parents now beg to get their wards enlisted after we have closed the registration portal. And as both my pastor, Eva Azodoh and my boss, the Junior Church leader, Ms Elizabeth Ekpenyong concluded, the conference keeps getting better and bigger every year. Interestingly, there is one particular family living in Jos, Plateau State, who have brought their children to attend every year without fail.

Since attendance is free and participants have both tea-break and proper lunch aside other expenses we incur, I must acknowledge the support of many friends who have over the years been there whenever I call. I cannot thank them enough. While I will not mention their names, they will be receiving letters from my Pastor for their kind support. But I must single out for mention two people. First, the editor of Sunday THISDAY, Mr Shaka Momodu who used his good offices to offer a tremendous assistance. Two, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Mr Samson Itodo for their partnership this year. I hope we can work together in the years ahead as we seek to impact the lives of our young adults still looking for direction.

Meanwhile, videos of the presentation by both Fayemi and Helen Paul and other reports as well as photographs from the conference are on our website, www.rccgteapteens.org.