Ojere Igbayen Social Club Floats Picnic in Abeokuta, Urges Alumni Members to Embrace Multiple Streams of Incomes, Networking to Survive Harsh Economy
Feelings of camaraderie, nostalgia reminiscences and shared common academic backgrounds rent the air as members of the Ojere Igbayen Social Club converged on Abeokuta for Egba Picnic 2024 where they were urged to embrace creation of multiple streams of income, alumni networking as strategies for surviving the harsh socio-economic realities in Nigeria
By: Israel Adeleke, Olufemi Orunsola
Ojere Igbayen Social Club, an Alumni pressure group, consisting old students of the then Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, combined, has floated a welfare picnic in Abeokuta, calling on Alumni members to embrace multiple streams of income and social networking in order to survive the harsh economic realities in the country.
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the President of the club, Barrister Abdul-Hafews Atanda-Shoremi, who expressed great satisfaction with the massive turn out of Alumni Members of the state-owned Polytechnic, many of whom had not met physically for donkey years after graduation, at the Abeokuta Picnic, appealed to all Alumni members to embrace the creation of multiple streams of incomes and strategic networking in order to survive the harsh socio-economic conditions in the country.
The Ojere Igbayen Social Club President made the passionate appeal during his speech at a breakfast meeting of the Club at Mitros Residences, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday as part of activities marking the weekend long Picnic.
The Lagos-based lawyer and real estate entrepreneur emphasized that given the harsh socio-economic realities of the times, Alumni members are left with no option but to create multiple streams of incomes, noting that networking with old school mates could go a long way to enable Nigerian graduates to achieve outstanding successes in their life's endeavours.
OTN further reports that one of the members of the club, who is the incumbent Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Chapter while delivering a brief professional lecture at the breakfast meeting advised all old school mates to pay close attention to their individual basic health indicators, treasure their network of old school mates and make deliberate efforts to cultivate good social relationships with significant others, that are now strategically positioned in different fields of human endeavours, who according to him, could provide a vital social support mechanism and lifelines to them in critical times of need.
Also speaking at the breakfast meeting, another member of the club, Otunba Dare Odufowokan, who is a Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor, on Public Communications, commended all members who attended the picnic, especially those who flew into the country all the way from the United States, Canada, Abuja and other places, just to attend the picnic, noting that seeing them all after many years affords everyone an opportunity for nostalgic reconnections with old school mates.
Similarly, another member of the club, who is a top Public Affairs Officer with the Lagos State government and the incumbent Chairperson of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos chapter, Dr.Adeola Ekine observed that the Ojere Igbayen Social Club has been a veritable source of a steady streams of social therapeutic bounds with old school mates, noting that the gender sensitive club adds great values to the high-end productive work cycles of many members of the Alumni group.
OTN News further reports that members of the Ojere Igbayen Social Club, who converged on Abeokuta for the Ojere Igbayen Picnic 2024, had earlier on Friday night, stormed the Iwe Iroyin Press Centre, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, warmly received to an open-air Welcome Groove where members of the Ilya Olumo Ojere campus Keggites Club members thrilled them to Gyration songs and dances.
OTN News further reports that after the Saturday morning Breakfast Meeting, members of the club moved in an entourage to the Olumo Rock en route the Itoku Adire/Kampala Fabrics market, where tour guides led them through the Arts Gallery and various sections of the ancient rock from which Abeokuta derives its name.
Conscious of the need to revisit their Alma mater, members of the club also visited the Ojere campus of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta for a brief on-the-spot assessment of the state of affairs at the state-owned tertiary institution to drive possible give back project to be undertaken by the club in the near future.
Feelings of camaraderie, nostalgia, reminiscences and shared common academic backgrounds rent the air as club members returned to the NUJ Event Centre, Iwe Iroyin for the main Picnic where all members present, wined, dined and shared their individual professional elevator pitches, detailing their professional endeavours and side hustles with everyone to encourage patronage of one another, job referrals and networking between and among members.
Another significant highpoint of the Egba Picnic hosted by the club was the presentation of letters of nomination for the receipt of the maiden edition of the Made-in-Mapoly Distinguished Entrepreneurs Awards to the President of the Club, Barrister Abdul-Hafews Atanda-Shoremi and another distinguished member of the club, Mrs.Adedoyin Kukoyi, by Moshood Abiola Polytechnic's Centre for Entrepreneurship Development(MAPCED).
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