Nigerian Boys Scout To Enact New Laws To Prepare Youths For Leadership Role

By Ayodele Oni

The Pro-President of Ondo State Scout Council, Prince Olusoga Atibioke, has reteriated the roles of Scouting in building a viable Society describing the organization as the greatest asset in the country.

Prince Atibioke, while addressing the 2021 Annual General Meeting organized by Ondo State Scout Council in Akure stated that the body was formed to promote unity and mental co-existence, which are critical to the survival, growth and development of the nation.

“I believe strongly that the Scouts are the bedrock of societal development and if a scout is educated, trained and empowered, he or she is built; and if you build the Scouts, you build a nation.”

Atibioke stressed that the organization is set to develop new curricular towards the development of the Youths as future Leaders of Nigeria.

“Scouting started in 1907 with just 20 boys on the Brown Sea Island, and today, it has become the biggest single voluntary organization Worldwide with over 57 Million members.

“The Vision of Scouting is to attain 100 Million membership by 2023.

“However, in order to attain this number, as the Leader of Scouting in Ondo State, l am challenging the team towards setting a target of One Million members in Ondo State within the next two years.

“And to achieve this goal, our focus would be to engage our youths from cradle of being Eaglet Scouts to being Adult Scouts, by educating them in the act of good citizenship, and Leadership programmes.

“We plan to engage and align with the Ondo State House of Assembly to re enact the Scout Association of Nigeria Law into the Law of the Ondo State Government.

“This will abolish the old Western Nigeria Boys Scout Association of Nigeria Law that has been obsolete, and concentrate efforts alone on the Boys, without minding the Gender Sensitivity within our Society.

“Upon the enactment of this law, we shall partner with the State Executive council through His Excellency, the Governor and his Deputy, to get them on board as the State Patron and State Deputy Patron of Scouts, and then interface with the Ministry of Education and Youth, to take Scouting back to Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Schools in Ondo State.

“Our Educational Method will focus on developing Good Citizenship and Leadership, since Scouting is about Leadership, we would be ready to offer ourselves for service to Train Leadership in Public and Private Organizations.

Other things that we are planning to embark upon, are programmes on Diversity and Inclusion, Social Impacts, training youths to be agents of positive changes within our communities without any discrimination to gender, color or where you are from.”

During the annual general meeting, Elections of New Officers of the State Scouts Committee took place.

The Former State Scout Commissioner, Prince Simple Mohammed Abdullahi, gave report of his tenure after which the Committee was dissolved and elections were conducted for the post of State Scout Treasurer and State Scout Commissioner.

Reverend Ajibola was re elected as the State Scout Treasurer and Ambassador Taiwo Jeremiah Oladeji was elected as the New State Scout Commissioner for itfor the next three years.

In attendance at the AGM were representatives of the Commissioners for Youths and Sports in Ondo State, Mr. Kolawole Abiodun, and the National Youth Council Chairman, Ondo State Chapter, Comrade Fadile.

Representatives of the District and Divisional Councils with over 67 members of the Ondo State Scout Council were also in attendance.