Since ages past, Students in rural areas unlike their counterparts in the urban centres have always been at a great disadvantage in terms of Opportunities, exposures and easy means of achieving their goals in life.

In other words, while the students in urban cities make it fast in life so to say, only the lucky students in rural areas who possibly migrate to rural cities also make it, while those who couldn’t remained stunted in growth for life.

The Countryside Emerging Leaders Fellowship (CELF) is already changing that narrative in Kwara state by creating bigger and better opportunities for students in rural areas not only to match up but to possibly surpass their counterparts in the urban cities. 

The CELF is also canvassing that this unique idea is domesticated across the country by the stakeholders, to make every nook and cranny of Nigeria a better place for everyone to live.

To this end, 32 carefully selected students of equal gender from the core rural areas across the 16 local government areas of Kwara State  underwent two-week camping at the Army Headquarters, Sobi Ilorin.

Top leaders and mentors, including Dr Kadiri Khadihat Kehinde of University of Ilorin who won the Gani Fawehinmi Impact Award for her Works in combining photography with community development activities, Community Development expert from BUK, Prof  M.B Shittu among others were drafted to address the rural students, on why they have to believe in themselves and continue to strive despite the limitations and disadvantages of the environment they came from.

The students who were later inducted as Fellows were granted full scholarships by the Kwara State government with a charge to domesticate the knowledge and development mindset they have been exposed, to positively impact their various communities.

The youthful Kwara Speaker, Engr Yakubu Danladi-Salihu who also visited the students promised legislative frameworks for funding.  

Speaking to journalists, the founder of CELF, Lawal Olalekan Olohungbebe, a community development practitioner, said the essence of the programme is to create a similar platform for rural youths as obtained in the urban areas to enable them further their education and become more productive.

He expressed the need to open up their mindsets and expose them to huge opportunities as obtainable in the urban centres and then make them believe in themselves. 

According to him, “Most of those from the rural areas lack these opportunities the urban population is exposed to. We want to create a platform for the rural youth to grow.

“They have been exposed to three thematic areas of self-development, entrepreneurship which will expose them to opportunities in their various neighbourhoods and community development.

“What we’re looking at is that whatever path they may want to take, they should be informed on  how to give back to the society regardless of their chosen profession”.

One of the resources persons and Executive Director, Brain Builders Development Initiative, Abideen Olasupo, exposed the students to MDGs goals.  

According to the 27 years old United Nations SDGs advocate who represented Nigeria at the UN Corruption Summit, the initiative is a “brilliant one”.

“If I had this opportunity, maybe I would have travelled to all the continents, not just five. Imagine the kind of knowledge and resources and networking  these rural students have been exposed to. The majority of first-class graduates who complain about unemployment is because of a lack of interpersonal relationships skill.

“These kids are being trained on leadership, communication skills and community development. By the time they get into tertiary institutions, they’re going there as the best. This is already happening in the United States”.

He said there is every need to scale up the project to make it attract more students and expand it to other states of the federation.

In her assessment of the programme, a female student of Comprehensive High School, Ilofa, Oke-Ero Local Government in Kwara State, Adeshina Bidemi Joy, said the experience was mind-blowing.

“Because of my environment, I used to think I cannot achieve like others. But that is no more the case. I now know I can better them in future.

“My message to students with the perception that they are from a disadvantaged environment is not to give up on their dreams but to keep striving hard to achieve a better future. With this platform, they can speak to the government on political activities they perceive is not going well.

For his part, Tijani Ibrahim, a student of Muideen Arabic Secondary School from the hinterlands of Ilorin South said “Before, I easily give up on whatever I am doing especially when I can’t achieve it on time.

“When I return to my community now, I will promote the need to always stay glued to our goals irrespective of our environment”, he added