Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala delivering the keynote speech at The Nigerian Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders

It was a gathering of dignitaries, celebrities, thought leaders and pace setters over the weekend as the 2nd edition of The Nigeria
Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders held between the 5 – 7 of April, 2013 at the world class Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti.

The event themed, Project 2015: ‘The Character of our Involvement’ had in attendance, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of
Finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers state; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state; Chike Ogeah, Delta state
commissioner for Information, Kola Oyeneyi of Venia Hub; Dr Oke Okechukwu of Thisday; Tonye Cole, CEO of Sahara Group; Professor Pat
Utomi; Yemi Adamolekun and a host of others.

Hosted by the Ekiti state government, the event began with a welcome dinner organised by the host state. Used as an avenue to induct guests
into the vision of the weekend, the event had in attendance Governor Kayode Fayemi and other Ekiti state government officials.

Day two of the event commenced with a speech from Professor Pat Utomi, who later joined the panel of discussants and conducted a review on the
state of Nigeria. The discussants with Professor Utomi were Kola Oyeneyi of the Venia Group; Japheth Omojuwa, a social media activist; Ajayi
Olowu, Gbenga Sesan, Social Entrepreneur and Dr Oke Okechukwu of Thisday.

Delivering a speech titled ‘Friends, Fellows, Countrymen- we have so much work to do’, the Executive Director of The Future Project, Chude
Jideonwo, said, “We need to build our capacity for leadership and we must learn from the massive pool of political knowledge our speakers
dish out today, only with this will we as young Nigerians be able to define our character of involvement for the 2015 Election.”

The second discussion for the day titled, ‘Getting your Hands Dirty: A Practical Guide to Political Participation’ had as discussants, Governor
Kayode Fayemi, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Tonye Cole, Chike Ogeah, Pat Utomi and Odia Ofeium, who all dished out nuggets aiding effective
political participation. “You cannot change the government from outside.
If you don't get involved now, you will continue to protest from the outside for the rest of your lives,” said Tonye Cole.

The last face of the symposium which held on Sunday, April 7, 2013 began with a panel presented by EnoughisEnough Nigeria titled, ‘This is
our Stand: Outlining the Steps for Engagement,’ consisted of Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director of EnoughisEnough Nigeria, Salihu Tanko-
Yakassai, Ife Adebayo, Temi Giwa, Akintunde Oyebode and Kayode Daniel and was moderator by Idris Akinbanjo, who said, “Tell politicians the
truth everytime you have the opportunity to engage them.”

Present to deliver the keynote speech for the event was the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi
Okonjo- Iweala, who spoke on the topic, ‘The Cost of Involvement: Why your Generation Must Get Involved.’ “I think the young people today with
all your systems will begin to focus on the gaps in the systems and economy of the nation,” said Dr Iweala. “The only way you can change the
government or the society is to change yourself.”

“The 2nd edition of The Nigeria Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders turned out to be an impactful, intellectual and engaging event
that has helped redirect the thought process of the youths both in and out of government for deeper and greater impact and involvement in the
2015 election,” said the Managing Partner of The Future Project, Adebola Williams. “The discussions from the governors, political and economic
leaders and young thought leaders in the nation have collated as a baton to help young Nigerians run this nation better.”

The Nigeria Symposium for Young & Emerging Leaders, a platform leading from The Future Awards, is the next stage of its involvement in building
a new generation of leaders to engage the nation’s governance and economy through knowledge exchange and building of networks.
Registration for the 2013 event ended on 22nd March, 2013.

The 2013 edition is presented by The Future Project, in partnership with EnoughisEnough Nigeria. It is sponsored by Etisalat and First Bank,
with support from Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and the Nigeria Leadership Initiative.

Media partners are Channels Television, Silverbird TV, Cool FM, BellaNaija, NigeriaNewsdesk and LASAA. Official media partner is
Y!/YNaija.com.

For more information about this event, please visit www.thefuturenigeria.com or follow The Future Project on Twitter
@TFANigeria and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheFutureAwards.