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Minister Canvases Inclusive Approach to Youth Issue.

Published

6 years ago

November 8, 2019

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has advocated a more inclusive approach for profiling youth for development and empowerment interventions to capture those in the informal sector even as he identified funding as a major challenge to be addressed.

The Minister, who was speaking, when he gave the audience to Junior Achievement Nigeria (JA), a non-governmental organization, in office in Abuja, further noted that the era when Youth Development was just a footnote is over.

He said “We need to be more inclusive to include those without tertiary education in the profiling of the Nigerian youth. The informal sector plays a major role in the economy. I think when empowering the youth we should look not just at the elite population, when we are all-encompassing we will make progress.”

Reacting to Junior Achievement’s presentation on how to empower the next one million youth over the course of the next five years, Mr. Dare noted that “the challenge of youth development has been funding and how to scale up. You need to work with us as a Ministry to also achieve our target of (training and empowering) one million youth.

“As I listened to both of you speak, I was just wondering if someone somewhere compared notes because as I reel out plans, you will find that there are just several plug-ins. To a very large extent, they are similar. What we are doing differently this time is that we are putting youth and sports development on equal care.

The Minister assured the organization that their priorities are also the Ministry’s priorities noting that “What we want to do is to scale up the empowerment of our youth, also to deepen the skills that we offer them and above all, to create opportunities for them. It is about opportunities. What you do is also creating a platform for opportunities.”

He informed the gathering of the Ministry’s vision to empower 500,000 youth in the next two years in partnership with groups like JAI to scale the numbers up, among other programs of the Ministry.

Speaking earlier, the Director Junior Achievement Olaniyi Yusuf, while giving a background on the organisation, said JA has three major areas of focus which includes Financial Literacy; which teaches young people how to spend and invest wisely, Work Readiness; working with students and prepare them for work, Entrepreneurship; working with students and those out of school to make them successful entrepreneurs, with a fourth pillar, Digital Literacy, in recognition of the fact that the world is a global village.

The Executive Director of the Junior Achievement Nigeria, Simisola Nwogugu thanked the Minister for receiving the group and highlighted some of the organization’s achievements. She said, “In our first 20 years in the country, we focused on making an impact on the students that were under our care, we believe that by the end of this year we would have reached 1 million students. We are now at 980,000; we have a few programs to help us reach 1 million by the end of the year. At our 20th anniversary, we decided to look for a way to reach another 1 million without waiting for another year and that is why we are here”

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Featured

Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles

Published

4 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.

Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.

What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.

Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.

In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.

Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.

“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”

She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”

The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.

Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”

For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”

Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”

Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.

Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.

Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.

With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.

Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.

“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.

He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.

“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”

Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.

“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”

He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”

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