International airlines body chair gets recognition

The Chairman, International Airlines Association of Nigeria, Damilola Ogunseye

The Chairman, International Airlines Association of Nigeria, Damilola Ogunseye, has been honoured for his contribution to youth mentorship and professional development at the ninth leadership award of the Impact Initiative for Youth Mentorship.

Ogunseye was among 19 leaders recognised at the event for their efforts in mentoring young people and providing guidance to help them develop their character, careers and leadership capacity.

Speaking after receiving the award, Ogunseye said the recognition was an acknowledgement of his efforts to mentor young people through his professional duties, counselling and guidance, particularly those seeking to build careers in the aviation sector.

He said, “The award means some mentorship that is being done to many youths by way of discharge of duties, character, counselling and also trying to lead young ones to be professional in their dealings, particularly in the aviation area.”

He said many young people within the aviation industry required proper guidance to navigate their careers and make informed professional decisions.

He urged young Nigerians to remain resilient and avoid seeking shortcuts to success, stressing that meaningful achievement required patience, growth and perseverance.

“My message to the youth is they must be resilient in spirit,” he said.

He added, “They shouldn’t do quick fix. You have to start, you have to grow, then you can harvest.”

In his virtual address, the Grand Patron of the initiative, Prof PLO Lumumba, who encouraged the young participants to recognise their capacity to influence society positively.

Lumumba described the initiative as a “grand idea” and urged the organisers to sustain the platform as a means of exposing young Africans to responsible leadership, mentorship and opportunities for personal development.

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Addressing the youths, he said, “You can change the world and you must change the world.”

He further encouraged them to draw inspiration from the leaders and professionals participating in the programme, rather than seeing their current circumstances as limitations to their future.

The recognition of Ogunseye and the other awardees formed part of the initiative’s broader effort to celebrate individuals who have contributed to the development of young people.

The Convener, Victor Cletus, said the initiative was founded after he discovered, as a student, the need for young people to be listened to and exposed to people ahead of them.

According to him, the programme has, over the years, brought prominent leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals together to interact with young people and share experiences capable of shaping their future.

Cletus said poor leadership remained one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria and Africa, stressing that mentorship was necessary to prepare young people for responsible leadership.

He said, “We want to mentor these young people; we want to tell them that it is possible to have a better society through impactful and responsible leadership.”

He added that students from Yaba College of Technology, the University of Oye-Ekiti and other higher institutions participated in the event, saying the interaction would give them an opportunity to learn directly from experienced professionals.

Cletus also expressed appreciation to the partners and supporters who had sustained the initiative from its first edition to the ninth.