Nigeria
Marcus Edibogi Akor
Otukpo, Nigeria
E-mail:marcusakor@yahoo.com
Website: www.ibridge.webs.com
Birthday: May 7th, 1988
Education: First School Leaving Certificate, O’Level, Certificate programs.
Occupation: Social Entrepreneurship
Please describe your vision of a world that works for everyone.
A generation of creative, informed and environmental conscious youth regardless of their social and economic status is my vision of the world. When young people are given the opportunity to learn leadership and practice leadership, the world will transform to better and everyone will be at peace with one another.
What do you see as the most pressing problems facing the world today?
Poverty is one of the most pressing problems facing the world today. Unemployment, corruption, non-diversification of the economy, income inequality, and a poor education system are some of the key factors contributing to poverty in the world. In Nigeria, widespread and severe poverty is a reality. It is a reality that depicts a lack of food, clothes, education and other basic amenities. Lack of opportunity, lack of empowerment and a lack of security are dimensions contributing to the poverty rate today. The window of opportunity remains closed to the poor masses, and this makes them practically inactive in the society.
How do you feel these problems could best be solved?
I feel these problems could be solved if our current leaders have reorientation on leadership by organizing meetings and forums where they will all work towards the same goal. And for emerging leaders and young people, I feel the following programs could help in bridging the divide:
Leadership and Essential life skills program
Entrepreneurial and marketable skills training
Value orientation & reorientation
Providing volunteering opportunities
Job skills preparation
Moral values and norms reinforcement
I feel through these programs, people will participate actively in the development of themselves, their communities and the world at large.
Developing Youth through visionary leadership empowerment is critical to reaching the sustainable development we all yearn for in our country Nigeria and the world at large. My passion for social change through effective leadership dates back to 2007. My dream for the world is a generation of empowered visionary leaders.
Profile
I am Marcus Edibogi Akor, I am 24 years old. I am a native of Akpa in Otukpo Local Government, Benue State. I was brought up in Zaria, Kaduna State.
I studied Sun Java Programming Language at the National Institute for Information Technology (NIIT). I began my career in social development as a computer operator in General Hospital Otukpo in 2008. Later, I was appointed as the Assistant monitoring and Evaluation Officer/Data Entry Clerk for Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria project which was implemented in Otukpo General Hospital, Benue State. The project provided care, treatment and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Thereafter, I worked as the Assistant Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Coordinator at Catholic Action Group on HIV/AIDS, Diocese of Otukpo. I coordinated the activities of OVC in schools and communities of Otukpo Local Government and its environs.
During this period, I volunteered as the Coordinator of Parish Action Committee on HIV/AIDS, St. Jude’s Parish. I and other volunteers provided services for OVC and their caregivers.
I have acquired skills through several training programs both in Nigeria and abroad in the areas of Leadership, Sexual and Human Reproductive Health, Monitoring & Evaluation, Information Management System, Public Health and others.
I love to read inspirational and motivational books. The books help me to view the world in a dimension of possibilities. I am also very interested in leadership since I understood that leadership is not positional but requires direction, alignment and commitment to make things happen.
To increase my knowledge in the field of development and Leadership;, I am an active member of several national and International groups for example Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Taking IT Global, Global Change makers Network, Under30 Youth Development Agency, Organization of African Youth and a host of others.
I gained full scholarship to study in India at the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) now Kanthari International. I studied Social Entrepreneurship in India from January 2011 to December 2011.
Now, I have started an organization called the Bridge Organization. The Bridge Organization idea was developed during my training program at IISE. The Bridge Organization is located at Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Bridge Organization is set up solely for Youth empowerment and it has four major pillars:
* Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development
* Environmental Education Program
* Information Communication Technology Skills
* Fashion Design training for skills acquisition.
I believe that we the Youth of Nigeria and the world have all it takes to make positive social change happen in all sectors of Nigeria. We only need the right platform and support for us to exhibit and unleash our creative leadership minds to practical sustainable development.
Making Nigeria great is our shared responsibility!
Click Here to read My Book Assessments
Books Completed
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
As a Man Thinketh
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Psycho Cybernetics
Keys to Success
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Giant Steps
The New Dynamics of Winning