The organisers and selected winners of The Future Awards recently met with all the key government officials in charge of youth matters in the country when they paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Also present at the meeting were the Minister for Youth Development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi and the Senior Special Adviser to the Vice President on Youth, Mrs. Morenike Soyinka-Onijala.
The delegation was led by Dr. Reuben Abati, chairman of The Guardian Editorial Board as well as chairman of The Future Awards Independent Audit Committee. Dr. Abati, after expressing the regrets of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Pat Utomi, who was initially billed to be at the meeting, introduced the project and its organisers. He mentioned that the organisers started this project when they were all under the age of 20 – the youngest of them was even 17 – and they have grown from strength to strength. You would be proud of them.”
The 5th edition of The Future Awards is presented by HiTV and RedSTRAT, with support from the Federal Ministry of Youth and the International Finance Corporation. It is the flagship platform under The Future Project, Nigeria, which is an umbrella of projects and programmes that seeks to inspire hope in young Nigerians, direct them to work for change and to add practical value to society.*
