By Victor Gotevbe

UGREEN FOUNDATION, EBONYI STATE

Ugreen Foundation Nigeria is an organization managed by young people committed to promoting a constructive and active citizenship participation in the next generation leadership. To enhance this participation, it is committed to advancing participation in key areas of democracy, leadership, governance and knowledge building.

Since January 2008, Obinna Udenwe, Executive Director of Ugreen Foundation has worked with his team slowly but steadily to make a monumental difference. Some of the major projects achieved last year were Change Your World Project, Ugreen World Youth Day for Democracy Project and Creative Wings Short Story Prize.

Change Your World Project was done in honour of the United Nations’ International Year of Youths on August 4th, 2011. The project featured  an interactive session with 72 youth leaders. And there was an essay contest with Onyinyechi Mbam, a 19 year old female medical student as the winner. She is to get sponsorship to participate in Desplay Africa Season 7 organized by Youngstars Foundation.

Ugreen Foundation

Ugreen World Youth Day for Democracy Project was organized October 18 during the World Youth Day for Democracy. It visited three schools in Ebonyi state and engaged a total of over 5000 students on democracy interactions.

There was also an essay contest for secondary school students and Okike Roseline Agwu emerged the overall winner of a cash price of ten thousand naira. And Creative Wings short Story Prize is endowed by Obinna Udenwe and financed by the organization to help discover hidden budding writers from Africa, residing anywhere in the world.

The 2011 inaugural Prize had Fego Martins Ahia from Lagos state and Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent, from River state, Nigeria as winners. Their short stories have appeared in Ugreen Foundation’s website, in bookaholic blog, beautiful wings and creative writing news.

AFOLABI DUROTOYE a.k.a. BEAZY, ENGLAND

Beazy is a phenomenal young Nigerian rapper who is blazing the trail in the  Nigerian music industry. But as he admits, being a good rapper doesn’t quite cut it these days. In a time when the world seems to be brimming with rap talent, a lot of things set him apart from the horde.

Beazy

It goes way beyond his witty punch lines, catchy hooks or even his cool demeanour on a song.  It also extends to his perfectionist approach to music and his work ethics.

In just three years, he has amassed an archive of close to 250 recorded songs and is still recording regularly a pointer to the Nigerian work ethic. His attitude is also a breath of fresh air because unlike most, his aspiration is not only to be the local champ, but to be recognized worldwide as one of the best, if not the best, at his profession.

It is most certainly a very bold ambition by this young Nigerian, and one that he realizes is not going to be easy to achieve, to put it very mildly. But according to him “with back breaking work, belief in God, yourself and your team, absolutely anything is possible.” For Beazy, music is  a tool to reach out to people and make positive impact in their lives. This he is doing one song at a time