King Bubaraye Dakolo of Gbarain Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Tuesday, kicked off a youth mentorship programme to encourage youths to work hard and embrace environmental consciousness.

The mentorship programme is in collaboration with Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), environmental rights focused Non-Governmental Organisation.

The mentorship scheme involves selected youths drawn from oil-bearing communities across Bayelsa. Under the mentorship scheme, the youths are programmed to spend time interacting with Dakolo in his palace.

The aim, according to the organizers, is to get youths draw inspiration from the accomplishments of the monarch and seek wisdom from the wise and get prepared for leadership positions in the future.

Interacting with the youths, Dakolo, the Agada the IV of Gbarain Ekpetiama Kingdom, expressed satisfaction with the young people seeking for knowledge and wisdom from the wise.

He said that the kingdom is old one that has existed before slave trade, palm oil trade, grandnut trading, amongst others.

He explained that Mungo Park, Lord Frederick Lugard, all passed through and visited the kingdom, a development that exposed his subjects early to foreign languages.

The King appealed to young people to embrace education, and also devote their time to learn something new every day of their lives.

He urged young people to always maximize their time in all they do, as well as being orderly in their youthful age.

Dakolo urged them to always take seriously whatever that has to do with oil and gas, and the environment.

He noted that oil deposit is supposed to be a blessing but unmitigated pollution has left a bitter experience and challenged them to study and provide a solution to the challenges posed by oil and gas exploration and production.

He said that young people must always endeavor to ask questions in order to be better than old men who never bothered to ask questions about their environment.

The monarch, who is also the Chairman of Bayelsa Traditional Rulers Council, urged the youths to always have a purpose and be clear on what they want to study in school and discuss it with their parents before obtaining their JAMB forms.

In his remarks, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, a renowned Environmentalist and the Director, HOMEF, said the visit was to tap wisdom from the wise as one of the ways to enlighten young scholars.

“We came with young people because education is a very strong tool for the growth of young people”.

“We are here to learn from the wise on things that are of natural value to human nature, things like climate change, amongst others”.

“Also to get the right knowledge, not the wrong one, but the one that will take young people far in life,” he said.

Bassey noted that things were changing rapidly in the world today, as a result of which many people were seeking knowledge and information from the media.

He also commended the King for his emergence as the Chairman Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, while observing that Dakolo was endowed with all the leadership qualities needed to transform and uplift the traditional institution in Bayelsa.

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