To give Nigerian youths the skills and knowledge that will prepare them for leadership and personal fulfilment, the New Era Foundation, (NEF) a social enterprise founded for youth development and women empowerment, is organising a youth leadership training program, tagged: “Friendship, Inspiration, Training (FIT).  The training is in partnership with LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise (LILE). The program commences on December 19^th and runs through to December 22^nd, 2012, at the prestigious New Era Youth Camp in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.

The training which would greatly strengthen the social, ethical, emotional and cognitive competencies of the participants will have youth of between 16-30 years drawn from past winners of the NEF Spelling Bee, who now form the peer-mentoring group, known as the Council of One Day Governors (CODG). The ultimate prize for winners of the NEF Spelling Bee is to serve as the state governor for a day, hence the name, CODG. They would be joined by the competition’s winners from Ogun state, as well as awardees of Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Lagos Central Senatorial District Scholarship Scheme.

In a statement issued by the New Era Foundation, Executive Director, Mr Yemi Osilaja pointed out, “Our youths require training assistance in developing vital leadership and personal skills. It is very key to expose them to programmes that will give them fundamental skills as well as general knowledge and information that will uplift their confidence”.

He added that, the leadership programme tagged “The FIT Programme’’  will build friendships that will be useful for networking in the future. “We hope that it will inspire the youths towards giving their best to society, and also train them to be self assured young men and women who will face their future with confidence.”

Speaking on the format of the FIT program, Osilaja explained that “The training is a well-designed course that will run in six clusters and be fun and interactive, whilst addressing the needs of the participants. It is a two-day program that will cover salient topics like, Communication Skills, Understanding Leadership Styles, Financial Literacy, Etiquette, etc. As with all our programs, there will also be a class on Sexuality Awareness and of course, lots of sports.

Osilaja further disclosed that New Era Foundation is an organisation that is driven by it’s quest to prepare the Nigerian youths for a better future and is constantly seeking for partners who share its beliefs. “We have found in LADOL, a worthy partner in our quest for a Nation led by reliable and trustworthy leaders, which is our driving force for youth development.” He said.

In her comments, The Managing Director, LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise, Dr Amy Jadesimi said, “We support initiatives that promote key aspects of the youth development process that schools and communities are unable to provide. We are excited to partner with New Era Foundation on the FIT program as it gives us the platform to contribute towards providing the enabling environment that supports a positive and effective youth and leadership development process.”

LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise (LILE), an indigenous company, is owner and operator of the first and only deep offshore logistics base in Lagos (LADOL), providing comprehensive and strategic support services for deep water offshore oil and gas operations and projects in and around Nigeria.