By Divine Chukwu
The Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN Ebonyi State Chapter have concluded her 2025 Youth leadership summit with a call on leaders at all levels to apply Jesus Christ model of leadership for impact.
The event held at All Saints Angelican Cathedral Abakaliki on 25th April 2025 was used to honour exceptional leaders, including former Chairmen of YOWICAN in the State.
In his welcome address, the State YOWICAN Chairman, Deacon Stephen Ogonna Nwodom thanked the CAN parents body, Awardees, guests, WOWICAN and youths for attending the summit. He said the leadership summit was organized to train and sensitize the youths on need to embrace divine principles of leadership with faith in service to God and humanity.
Deacon Nwodom maintained that youths have lots of roles to play in leadership and development of the Church and the society in order to guarantee peace, unity and progress. He therefore called on all stakeholders to join hands in building Christian youths that will do exploits in leadership and other areas of lives.
On his part, the Ebonyi State Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, Rev. Dr. Scam Nwokolo emphasised that Christian youths are been looked up to as bedrocks for the restoration and sustainance of sanity and good leadership in both the Church and the circular society. He noted that without God fearing youths backing up the elders and the women, the society and even ths Church will lack direction. He therefore called on youths, especially Christians to rise to the challenge of becoming visionary youths who can be entrusted with responsibilities as transformative leaders.
Delivering a keynote address on the theme of the summit, which is “Visionary Youths, Transformative Leaders,” the guest speaker, Dr. Valentine Oje said visionary and transformative leaders must possess integrity, wisdom, knowledge and Christlike model of leadership that brings about transformation in both the Church and the society. He stressed that the foundation for a transformative leaders starts from the family, to the Church and then to the society, adding that Christian youths who wants to be transformative leaders must abstain from sin, build integrity and above all, allow Jesus Christ to be his or her role model.
The leadership summit was climaxed with an award to some exceptional individuals including the Deputy Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedu Onah, Southeast CAN Chairman, Rev. Fr. Dr. Abraham Nwali, Ebonyi State CAN Chairman, Rev. Dr. Chinedum Scam Nwokolo and his wife Mrs. Esther Nwakaego Nwokolo.
Also honoured are Barr. Prince Chinedu Uburu, Dr. Uzoma Agwu, Amb. Ominyi Nwannebuike, Comrade Emmanuel Nwodegu, Dr. Okike Paul Onyeozi, Rev. Edward Obuneme Joseph among others.
Some of the youth participants, including Southeast Chairman of YOWICAN, Chaplain Prince O. Kalu, Ebonyi State Vice Chairman of YOWICAN Apostle Richard Akum, the Secretary Daniel Onele, Pastor Victor Eze and others, thanked YOWICAN for the summit and promised to imbibe the principles of visionary and transformative leadership skills in their daily lives.