King Bubaraye Dakolo of Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa, on Tuesday, began a mentorship programme to encourage youths to embrace hard work and environmental consciousness.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mentorship programme is in collaboration with Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental rights-focused non-governmental organisation (NGO).
NAN also reports that the mentorship scheme involves selected youths, drawn from oil-bearing communities across Bayelsa, interacting with Dakolo in his palace.
The aim, according to the organisers, is to make youths to draw inspiration from the accomplishments of the traditional ruler and get prepared for leadership positions in the future.
Interacting with the youth, Dakolo, the Agada IV of Gbarain Ekpetiama kingdom, expressed satisfaction with the young people seeking for knowledge and wisdom from the wise.
He said that the kingdom had been existing before slave trade, palm oil trade and groundnut trading, amongst others.
Dakolo explained that Mongo Park, Lord Frederick Lugard and others also visited the kingdom, a development which, he said, had exposed his subjects early to foreign languages.
He appealed to young people to embrace education and devote their time to learn something new every day of their lives.
The royal father also urged them to always maximise their time in all they do and be organised in their youthful age.
He said that they should always take seriously whatever that had to do with oil and gas and the environment.
According to him, oil deposit is supposed to be a blessing, adding, however, that unmitigated pollution has left them with bitter experience.
Dakolo challenged them to study and proffer solutions to the challenges posed by oil and gas exploration and production.
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The traditional ruler, who is also the Chairman, Bayelsa Traditional Rulers’ Council, urged the youth to always have purpose for their courses of study and discuss with their parents before obtaining their UTME forms.
In his remarks, a renowned Environmentalist and Director, HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said that the visit was to tap from the traditional ruler’s wisdom and enlighten the young scholars.
“We came with young people because education is a very strong tool for the growth of young people.
“We are here to learn from the wise on things that are of natural value to human nature, such as climate change and get the right knowledge that will take young people far in life,” he said.
Bassey noted that things were changing rapidly in the world today, with many people seeking for knowledge and information from the media.
He also congratulated the king on his emergence as the chairman of the state traditional rulers’ council.
According to Bassey, Dakolo is endowed with all the leadership qualities that can transform and uplift the traditional institution in Bayelsa.
(NAN)
