A prominent Nigerian entrepreneur, the Convener of the SPEAK FORWARD project, Adeniyi Bankole has trained and empowered over 50 young Nigerians on the subject of public speaking in an event held at the Abuja Continental Hotel in Abuja on Saturday, the country’s Federal Capital.
Interacting with journalists at the event on Saturday, the Convener of the SPEAK FORWARD project, Adeniyi Bankole said his motivation behind the SPEAK FORWARD idea is to help build the communication skills of young people in the Country and discourage them from focusing only on typing and fingerings on phones.
Adding, he said, his vision is also to ensure that young people in the Country focused more on building their communication skills, giving less attention to the digital world and discovering that the topic of communication, public speaking and presentation skills are core skills and attitude needed by them to succeed as leaders.
He also pledged his readiness to assist young people in the country to bridge the missing gap existing between the coming generation and the subject of public speaking.
Recalling his school days, the Convener of the SPEAK FORWARD, Adeniyi Bankole emphasized the need for schools to revert to the days of having press clubs, literary and debating societies which had provided opportunities for many to develop and grow themselves on the subject of public speaking, thereby helping them to be bold, courageous, standing out, expressing their ideas and ideals, visions, goals, and articulating them properly.
Advising young Nigerians on the need to embrace the subject of public speaking, Adeniyi counselled them on the need to push for their life dreams regardless of the stage or condition they found themselves in life. “Push forward and you will be amazed how you realized your dreams.” He also charged them to always think deep to enable them discover their hidden treasures.
Continuing, he said, human potential are limitless, pointing out that communication and personal expression is key in discovering of oneself. He urged the youths of Nigeria to learn how to achieve a persuasive speaking as well as that of public speaking.
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Announcing the winners for the SPEAK FORWARD competitions, for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, the Chief Judge at the Grand Finale event, Zenim Surgwak, announces Kingsley Ekpenyong from Cross Rivers State taking the 1st position, Aliyu Suleiman from Kaduna State – 2nd position and Sally Chidiebere Wilson from Anambra State emerging in the 3rd position.
Speaking with the winner of the first edition of the SPEAK FORWARD project competitions, after the event on Saturday, in person of Kingsley Ekpenyong, who is a poet and a public speaker, hinged his emergence as the winner of the competition to his ability to find middle grounds between humor, story telling and poetry.
Ekpenyong however advised youths like him to find whatever they love, believe in it, stick through to their dreams, through thick and thin, engage in continuous study and learning, and allow it to consume them to become better in life and to become a champion.
In his own reaction to his 2nd position after the event, Aliyu Suleiman, charged the youths in the Country to believe in African as a continent, by doing away with all negativity about it, and ensuring and working towards its all round development.
Aliyu, a graduate of Political Science and a human rights activist also enjoined young Nigerians to always endeavor to spread good things and speak only the truth about African as a continent, and not further allow those who traumatized the African history and his people to continue.
Advising the youths, he called on them to focus more on Education, being the only weapon that would make young Nigerians what they think they can never be.
Also, Sally Chidiebere Wilson, who came third, appreciated the organisers of the SPEAK FORWARD project for encouraging young rising speakers in the country. She also urged Nigerian youths not to be deterred by their situations but rather encourage themselves never to give up, and should keep speaking forward and not relent.
Findings revealed that the SPEAK FORWARD project had over 200 applicants that registered and participated, out of which 15 people got to the grand finale before the final three people were picked as winners.
The Convener of the event, Adeniyi Bankole also expressed his readiness to continue to replicate the programme on a yearly basis to encourage and help more public speakers to rise in the country.