“I can rebrand Nigerian youths' -Akerele
By KATE HALIM Tuesday, June 02, 2009 (Culled From Sunnewsonline.com)

Passion and sincerity of purpose is the ample word to describe what made Toyosi Akerele resign her appointment in an oil company as a fresh graduate. This amiable young lady works tirelessly to inculcate good morals and ensuring that Nigerian youths take their destiny into their hands, through her non- governmental organization.
Her outfit, RISE INTERACTIVE is a marketing consultant firm for youths development. From her childhood, she had this ardent conviction that young people have a strategic role to play in the economy and nation building.

Speaking with Daily Sun, the 25 year old, law graduate from the University of Jos says she had the vision of imparting knowledge to her peers as regards channeling their energies and talents in a positive direction. She explains that, Reputation, Impact, Style and Expression make the acronym RISE which are the four cardinal values upon which the foundation is built.
According to her, RISE was founded while she was a 300 level student at the University of Jos. As a student, she was also a publisher of a magazine called RISE. She explained that the overwhelming response and support she got from people prompted her to create a national interactive youth forum tagged-'Dare to be different' which kicked off in June 2007. To her utmost surprise 7,000 Nigerian youths were in attendance and that spurred her to continue the forum.  Akerele stressed that the aim of RISE is to properly represent the aspiration, hopes, dreams, accomplishments and the achievements of the average young Nigerian. For this simple lady, Nigerian youths can go a long way in their chosen fields without compromising their dignity, integrity and their individual values. “People can be successful without engaging in advance fee fraud, young girls don't have to sleep with anybody to make it. I own RISE without any shareholder but dependent on God's grace and the great support from several young Nigerians”.

She also started the RISE business academy in July 2008. The academy, she emphasised was established to add value to young career people. “The RISE volunteer followship, also is fast attracting wide followership from outside Lagos. That is the reason the Interactive Youth Forum will spread to other states like Enugu, Benin, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Owerri, Kaduna and Abuja to maximize the potentials of the young Nigerians there”.  She resigned from Oando plc after three weeks of resumption because she felt unfulfilled doing a particular job routine. “There are few jobs that give you comfort and convinience in life while others bring you significance. The earlier youths begin to believe in their ability and capacity, the better.” Akerele, won the Nigerian Youth Leadership award, and to this cause she said: “I want to live in a country where the roads are motorable, where there is constant power supply. It's too late for me to be an Italian or a Chinese. I know that living in Nigeria, I can make a difference and rebrand the youths and that is why I am committed to this cause. From RISE youths will gain tangible value which would run through generations” .

Talking about re-branding, Akerele says sixty-five percent of the population to be re-branded are young people. “It is the youth of this country that will rebrand Nigeria because it is our generation that are prostitutes, fraudsters, armed robbers, election riggers, mercenaries and political thugs. So what we need in Nigeria is brand renewal. The product Nigeria must first be perfected before it is put in the International market to gain maximum productivity”.  She encouraged Nigerian youths to rise and act as an agent of change because “our time is now and that is the theme for the upcoming Youth Interactive forum next month”. Then ask her the challenges she faced on the job and she quickly says, her age and gender. “ Nigerian environment has been socialized into a system that make women feel inferior to their male counterparts. I see myself in a more advantageous position because I am a woman that is working diligently among the male folk. I would say that I am proud to be where I am and have surmounted my challenges because of my sincerity of purpose”.
Akerele speaks with so much passion that infects whoever is listening to her. She went further to talk on the objectives of RISE. “RISE is not an NGO but a business venture with bias for youth empowerment. We get funds through market research, consulting, concept creation, strategy, database supply, segmentation, profiling and sponsorship from corporate bodies. In another five to ten years in Nigeria and Africa, every young person in banking, manufacturing, government and any youth making a difference in his or her own chosen field would have been a direct or indirect beneficiary of the RISE Youth Interactive Center”.

This page last modified on Friday, December 11, 2009