Zutem Okolie-EkwuaziStudents in tertiary institutions have been advised to see the need to join groups that will help them build good social skills and networking that would help them in having access to opportunities after school.
The advise was given during the formal installation of newly elected president of Junior Chamber International (JCI), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) chapter, Miss Chinalurumogu Eze.
Speaking at the event, general manager of Solid 100.9 FM, Enugu, Mr Uma Uche Gabriel, said JCI is the largest youth-based organisation in Nigeria which aims at equipping young people.
He therefore encouraged students to acquaint themselves with such organisation as JCI in school to connect and build network for greater heights.”I want you to know that there is a disconnection between what you do in school and what you do in the real world. School will give you 30 percent of what you need to grow while 70 percent comes from the network you build and the organisation like JCI that you belong,”he emphasised.
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Furthermore, Mr. Uti Inyang, JCI Nigeria National Vice President South-South/Southeast District 1, in his speech during the investiture of the 2024 president advised students to invest their time in not only academic activities but also to identify other opportunities that will make them transformational leaders in various works of life.
Mr Inyang used an analogy in what he called “the red car theory” to state that opportunities are like red cars passing on the road. Only those intentional about knowing how many cars that pass, will actually know when they pass.
Mr Inyang also pointed out that a lot of times, opportunity will not come as a packaged item. “It is therefore, important that as a young person, you identify the opportunities around you.
“What distinguishes you from others, is the organisation you join while in school. JCI will help you identify your opportunities because it is the only organization where young people lead young people,” he opined.
In her address, the newly installed president of JCIN-UNN, Miss Eze, pledged to recruit about two hundred members into the organisation before the end of her tenure as the president.
She made the promise during an interview with some UCJ-UNN reporters on the occasion of the JCIN-UNN investiture of the 2024 president.
Miss Chinalurumogu Eze, a final year student of Mass Communication, who is an award winning campus journalist stated that strengthening the narrative of JCIN-UNN through innovative projects, massive content creation and collaboration are her major strategies to create visibility and boost the membership so that people can get to know more about the organisation.
In her words: “I basically have few months to run my office, so I want to see JCIN-UNN rise above what it is right now and we are starting immediately to do that. We are going full-on content creation on social media. We are planning our awareness week here in UNN to evangelize on what JCI is about.”
Mr. Enoch Shimeson, the outgoing 2023 president of JCIN-UNN, congratulated his successor, Miss Eze for taking up the post, adding that he believes she will take the organisation to the next level, having worked with him as the immediate Executive Vice President during his tenure.
“Her leadership skill, her attention to detail, her inquisitiveness, her diligence and high standards gives me the confidence that she will deliver well,” He stated.
Mr. Shimeson enjoined students to join JCIN-UNN to help them grow their network with amazing young people in different institutions, doing well in different sectors.
Junior Chamber International is a large global network of enterprising young leaders and that thrive on four core objectives which are individual development, community impact, networking, business and entrepreneurship.
