13/07/2026
OSAZUWA LEADS IKA SOUTH YOUTHS IN PRAYERS AS NYCN HOLDS MID-YEAR RETREAT ON GOOD GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP AND YOUTH USEFULNESS
By Ika-times Newspaper
12/07/2026
AGBOR – The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ika South Chapter, has successfully organized its 2026 Mid-Year Retreat with the theme, "Youthfulness and Usefulness in Christ and Leadership: Activating Good Governance for Safety and Youth Empowerment," bringing together youths from different faith based affiliated Voluntar Youth Organisations (VYO’s) across Ika South Local Government Area for a day of spiritual revival, leadership development and entrepreneurship at St. John Anglican Multipurpose Hall, Agbor.
The retreat opened with an intensive prayer session led by Mr. Emmanuel Osazuwa, who committed the gathering, the youths of Ika South, the leadership of the council and the future of the local government into God's hands, praying for peace, unity, wisdom and purposeful leadership.
Speaking during the programme, Mr. Osazuwa charged young people to shun dependency and embrace hard work, self-development and productivity, declaring that "No man rises with a begging bowl." He urged the youths to position themselves for opportunities through diligence, discipline and service.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ika South Chapter, Comr. Christian Izegede, said the retreat was organized to raise a generation of spiritually sound, morally upright and visionary youths who would become catalysts for good governance, community safety and sustainable youth empowerment.
The spiritual session was delivered by the guest speaker, Pastor Kingsley Osaigie, who took his anchor scripture from Psalm 103:5, explaining that youthfulness is a season of strength, purpose and divine assignment that should never be wasted.
Speaking extensively on the concept of usefulness, Pastor Osaigie reminded participants that God does not create anyone without purpose, emphasizing that God is not a waster of lives or resources. According to him, every young person carries divine potential and should never underestimate God's purpose for his or her life.
Drawing lessons from the miracle of Jesus feeding over five thousand people, the cleric noted that after the miracle, Christ instructed His disciples to gather the leftover fragments because nothing God provides should be wasted. He explained that the same principle applies to the gifts, talents, opportunities and energy entrusted to every youth.
He further described youthfulness as the stage of energy, strength, creativity and productivity, stressing that it is the season for planting seeds that will determine future greatness. He warned participants against wasting their youthful years on activities that do not add value to their lives.
Pastor Osaigie also declared that Satan fears youths with strong spiritual capacity, urging participants to build their relationship with God and remain steadfast in faith. He encouraged them to become instruments of positive transformation within their families, churches and society.
Advising the participants to distinguish themselves through excellence, the guest speaker declared, "Don't make noise; make news," urging them to allow their achievements, integrity and impact to speak louder than mere publicity.
Quoting Joel 2:28, he explained that God has assigned youths the responsibility of becoming vision carriers, innovators and creative thinkers. According to him, the ability to picture the future and provide solutions to societal challenges is one of the greatest responsibilities of the younger generation.
Pastor Osaigie further charged the youths to build their capacity continually, noting that God will not bless anyone beyond his or her level of preparation. He urged them to maximize their energy because, in his words, "The world is waiting for your rising."
The entrepreneurship lecture was delivered by Comr. Choice Omorogie, who spoke on "The Use of Social Media in Actualizing Our Financial Goals." He encouraged participants to leverage digital platforms for entrepreneurship, personal branding, business promotion, networking and multiple streams of legitimate income in today's digital economy.
In her goodwill message, Hon. Mrs. Anyangwu Cordilia, duly represented by Comr Austin Obihia applauded the leadership of the NYCN, Ika South Chapter, for organizing what she described as a timely and impactful retreat. She said the programme had exposed the youths to practical knowledge on leadership, spiritual growth and entrepreneurship, while appreciating the council for putting together such a wonderful retreat for the youths of Ika South.
Comr. Engr. Lucky Ehiobu, the Ika North East chairman of the council, encourages youths to make good use of the information gathered and activate it for a purposeful life ahead.
Benediction was shared by Comr. Emmanuel Ndidi, as he informed the participants of the International Youth Week.
The retreat ended with renewed commitments from participants to become useful, visionary and productive leaders who will uphold Christian values, promote good governance, strengthen community safety and drive youth empowerment in Ika South. Many participants described the programme as inspiring, life-changing and one of the most impactful youth gatherings organized by the council in recent times.
