ABUJA – The Executive Director of Bold Moves, an NGO, Mrs Kemi Adebayo, on Monday advocated use of retirees to mentor Nigerian youths with a view to empowering them.
Adebayo made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“I believe there is a lot that could be learnt from mentoring.
“Mentoring is a really good project that could help take lots of young women and men further in terms of where you have somebody who can help them to grow in whatever way.
“It is about guiding people if they have a vision or do not have a vision, helping them to have a vision, helping them to set goals.
“But they come up with the products; you are not making the decisions for them; but you are guiding them.’’
She said that a lot had to be done in the area of mentoring in Nigeria, especially finding suitable mentors for the youth.
Adebayo said that Nigeria had many elderly people, especially retirees that the youth could look up to.
She, therefore, called on non-governmental organisations to harness the experience some of the retirees had in terms of mentoring, saying this would go far in empowering the youth.
“Mentoring needs to be a lot more that could be done and I think what needs to happen more is to approach individuals from different backgrounds.
“Because you will be amazed at how some women who are not even necessarily educated can mentor people because of what they have done from the onset in terms of the struggle they have been through.
“They always have stories to tell and all you need is somebody just follows them and watch them and say ‘okay! I can avoid this’; the mistakes I’ve made I don’t want you to make the same.
“That is what mentoring is about.
“We have a lot of retired people in Nigeria who get involved in religious programmes.
“I strongly believe that if NGOs could harness the experience some of our retired people have in terms of mentoring others we would go far.’’
Adebayo said that mentoring should involve more of giving one’s time to the mentored, adding that some people valued time spent to monetary support.
“That is what some of these youths need, someone to give them an opportunity and someone to give them their time. If only mentors could find a way to give more time,’’ she said.
Bold Moves is a South African-based NGO aiming to reduce poverty and achieving peace across all cultures. (NAN)
