By NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Malam Jibrin Baba-Ndace says, the organisation would collaborate with World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community in telling the positive story of Nigeria and Africa to the larger world.
Ndace stated this when the Curator of the Abuja Global Shapers Hub, Chimdi Neliaku and her team paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday in Abuja.
“To all your requests for partnership, you are going to get it. For us in VON, is about telling the Nigerians and Africans stories that would shape positive narratives about Nigeria and Africa in a truthful, believable, consistent and deliberate manner” he said
“This is what I Inherited and that is what I intend to continue with, I have directors that are capable and who remain key to achieving whatever we are set out to achieve.
“There can’t be a more challenging time for nations to tell their stories than now. We have traveled round the world and know how other countries perceived us as Nigerians”he said.
“So every day, we in VON tell the Nigerian stories in eight languages; Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulfude, English, French, Arabic, and Swahili. And we also intend to look at the global trend to add more languages like Mandarin, Portuguese and others.
“We are willing to collaborate and partner with you, because the future of our country is in understanding that telling the Nigerian story can not be done by the government alone”
“You need people who will buy into the narrative of government and I think that is where you come in and I think it is so important that you are supported. You have a willing partner in us,” Ndace said.
The DG, call on the Shapers Community to key into some of the broadcast programmes of VON, adding that, VON is for Nigerians who believe in Nigeria and willing to contribute their quota to the development of the country.
He emphasised that we could not allowed others to shape our destiny by telling who we are.
He maintained that there were so many positive stories from Nigeria that we could share with the world to change the negative narrative about the country.
Speaking earlier, Neliaku appreciated Ndace and his willingness to support the initiative.
She added that Global Shapers Community was established in 2011 as a response to a lot of youth restiveness that was coming up after the Arab Spring.
“So this initiative was a city hub towards providing a platform for young people to be meaningfully engage in such a way that they can apply themselves into community and nation building, hence the name, Global Shapers Community.
“We are global but community base; so everything we do, we ensure that our community is intact and as Abuja Hub, we have carried out several projects over the years.
“For example, during the Nyanya Bomb blast, we settle hospital bills of some victims. We have also renovated schools, train teachers and planted over 6,000 tress in Abuja and Environs.
“We had a dialogue with the military on security. We also had “Amana Initiative” where we partnered with the police to ensure a meaningful relationship between law enforcement agencies and young people”
“All these are our way of contributing to national development. We are volunteers. We are here today, because VON shares similar objectives with us in shaping the Nigerian story”
“We are here to look at ways we can collaborate and get support. We have the network in and outside of Nigeria. We have 17 hubs in Nigeria,” Neliaku said.
She said the Hub is putting up an education programme for peace to bring together law enforcement agencies and Federal Ministry of Education including all its Departments and Agencies.
According to her,the aim of the programme is to look at how to address the education challenges through creative and innovative solutions as it impact on the Nigeria’s education sector. (NAN)