Scholarship / CHEVENING LEADERSHIP; I have always disliked mediocrity and have loved excellence in everything I do [5]

CHEVENING IS LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL BE FUTURE LEADERS OR INFLUENCE IN THEIR COUNTRIES. EXPLAIN HOW YOU MEET THIS REQUIREMENT, USING CLEAR EXAMPLE OF YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCING SKILLS TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER.

my various leadership positions

Leadership and influence to me has to do with the ability of a person to motivate other people to follow an idea or do things that would bring about the best result for their own benefits, and the benefit of others. It also involves helping people become the best of themselves towards the accomplishment of a common goal.

As an individual, I have always disliked mediocrity and have loved excellence in everything I do. This is why after series of regret of failing to take leadership positions when I could to influence things I decided to be deliberate in seeking leadership positions, since my graduation from the University.

Sequel to this I have held several leadership positions of influence and I will illustrate two recent cases during my Nation Youth Service in 2016/2017 at Kontagora Niger State.

September 2016, after series of, interviews and observation by then state and zonal executive. I was appointed as the new Zonal Evangelism and Drama co-ordinator of the Nigeria Christian Corpers fellowship (NCCF). I was by my ability of leadership, shared motivation and influence able to once again hold and revive the evangelism outreach of the NCCF at the zone, which has not been held for about three years due to lack of motivation and fund.

The outreach involves a weekend visit to a remote uncivilized village; the process required a lot of money to provide clothing and medical supplies, for the villagers.

Prior to my appointments as the evangelism zonal coordinator, I had built close relationship with fellowship members, so I was able to build great enthusiasm among other fellowship members with which I acquired the supports of various churches.

In January 2017, the outreach held with lots of fellowship members joyfully participating.

October 2016. Consequent open the election held at the Sustainable Development Goals Community Development Service Unit, I emerged the new zonal President for the Batch A 2016 set. Here I was able accelerate the community development activities of the unit which was not good enough. The activities were more of lectures and knowledge based but I decided to apply the theory of the 17th goal of the SDGs, emphasizing the need for partnership.

I first built motivation and interest amongst the unit members and I promised to secure a national certification of service for them, for the first time in the zone; this got them interested, as it will add color to their portfolios. I developed strategies to engage stakeholders to support the sustainable development agenda. By this, we become the first CDS unit to get public support for our projects. I used the generated fund to plan for sensitizations, which involved giving gifts at various places. I compiled and sent reports to the headquarters, which resulted to the promised certification for the members.

Owing to the success of my previous leadership positions, I was made a branch coordinator of my religious group and I have co founded a youth forum for the religious group as well.

Scholarship / Networking as the ability to establish contact with other people and maintaining good relationships [3]

CHEVENING IS LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUAL WITH STRONG NETWORKING SKILLS WHO WILL ENGAGE THE CHEVENING COMMUNITY AND INFLUENCE AND LEAD OTHERS IN THEIR CHOSEN PROFESSION. EXPLAIN HOW YOU MEET THIS REQUIREMENT USING CLEAR EXAMPLES OF YOUR NETWORKING SKILLS AND OUTLINE HOW YOU HOPE TO USE THESE SKILLS IN THE FUTURE.

My commitment towards growing my networks

I understand Networking as the ability to establish contact with other people and maintaining good relationships. No doubt, networking has been the fuel to the success of my leadership responsibilities at every level.

My commitment towards growing my networks both social and professional has led me to engage in various activities, such as conferences, community meet ups and forums.

My social network has received most of it growth and expansion via religious meetings. Early 2017 I co-hosted a Christian youth program for a community, in which used a social networking platform to engage the youths of the community to attend the program. This I did by first engrossing some key youths in the community who had considerable influence by featuring their pictures as attendees in a nice graphic design on a Facebook page, and by that, I was not just able to get them fully involved but also got their friends as well. They were enthralled to the point of sharing the responsibility of making the program a success. Thus, we recorded a great number of attendees as never before. Moreover, since then we had maintained contact via group chats.

Currently, I have been appointed by my organization to use the same strategy of networking to mobilize and create awareness for its 2017 national conference in November.

Based upon my versatile nature. My professional network is so wide and versatile consisting of various professionals with whom I have maintained close contacts. I have attended conferences of design and building industry such as the Autotesk conference of Lagos. In addition, I have attended an international exhibition for building materials at Abuja called Archibuilt, where I have to meet with other professionals of the building industry to share contacts and ideas on sustainable development of Architecture in Nigeria. I also belong to Autotesk group in Nigeria and I do attend the meet ups at Lagos, there I have also met with great minds and individuals who are open to new development ideas. I also belong to a team of five young professionals with who are working towards a sustainable city project for Anambra state, and we aim to create jobs, shelter and food at affordable rate.

In progression, I still seek to enlarge my network by joining various volunteer programs, such as the SDGs young leaders program, Hive Africa Global leaders program and others.

I am careful to maintain good relationships and to hone my networking ability because in future, my professional, business and political career will so much depend on it. Thus, I could engage with the chevening community to lead and influence the cause of action and the trend of practice to a better and a more sustainable platform of development, by identifying chevening members in my professions of interest and involving them in a collaborative effort of making decisions and implementing them effectively. Trusting the commitment of cheveners as great facilitators and nation builders.

Scholarship / CHEVENING CAREER PLAN; Upon returning home first I wish to work with a high reputation Architectural [3]

CHEVENING IS LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE A CLEAR POST STUDY CAREER PLAN. PLEASE OUTLINE YOUR IMMEDIATE PLANS UPON RETURNING. HOME AND YOUR LONG TERM CAREER GOALS. YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER HOW THESE RELATE TO WHAT THE UK GOVERNMENT IS DOING IN YOUR COUNTRY.

sustainable development in Nigeria and Africa

Upon returning home first I wish to work with a high reputation Architectural firm, this is to enable me to fulfill a partial requirement to be registered as an architect by the Nigeria Institute of Architect. While I work at the company for a period of two years I will seek to join a larger network of the United Nations sustainable development goal advocacy program. This will be a volunteer service as a development facilitator which I am already but this time of a larger scale where I can get to lecture professional in the building industry and various stake holders on the SDG goals.

As soon as the two year period is over I will apply for my professional exam which I will return for a Phd research course. This is to give me basis upon which I could publish various research papers which I have been working and developing. The Phd. Degree will equally open door larger network of professional whom I can as well educate along the time of sustainable of sustainable development whole I progress in my research program I also wish to set up several business basically of a graphic design, printing, paint production and farming. All of which are area of my entrepreneurship interest which I will develop to provide job for many youths in my community.

I also wish to establish a Fab lab for Nigeria in collaboration with willing tech companies to encourage creativity Nigeria Youths in manufacturing and intervention of useful technologies. I also wish to establish and register a youth leadership foundation which will focus on raising youth with high moral values and leadership integrity. And when I must attain some height in the community I will begin to seek political positions as platform to implement various sustainable development.

These are my career plan which have never been vague to me, I may not be able to state the extent length of time at which these is expected to be accomplished but I am sure to keep focused at it until they are all accomplished. I am not limited or tied to these stated goals because I can go beyond and can change course at certain point but my primary goal of sustainable development in Nigeria and Africa will ever remain my pursuit.