The Nkata Ndi Iyom Igbo Foundation and the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF) have successfully concluded a four-day regional seminar aimed at equipping trainers with the knowledge, values, and practical skills required to inspire positive behavioural change among young people across Southeast Nigeria.

The seminar, themed “Rebuilding Character, Strengthening Values, Empowering Minds, Enabling the Future,” was designed as a Train-the-Trainers initiative to prepare women, teachers, mothers, and community leaders as catalysts for moral reorientation and social transformation. Participants were drawn from the five states of Southeast Nigeria including Edo and Delta states, underscoring the organisers’ commitment to fostering regional collaboration in addressing the moral and social challenges confronting today’s youth.

Declaring the seminar open, the Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. U.U. Chukwumaeze, stressed the urgent need for collective action to rebuild the moral fabric of society. He noted that the growing decline in moral values and increasing social vices among young people require deliberate and sustained intervention from all stakeholders.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, “The responsibility of raising responsible and productive citizens rests with all of us. We must deliberately reorient our young people by teaching and nurturing them in line with our cherished cultural norms and values. Only then can we build a society founded on integrity, discipline, respect, and communal responsibility.”

The Nkata Ndi Iyom Igbo Foundation, founded by Iyom Josephine Anenih, former Minister of Women Affairs, has remained committed to promoting the welfare, cultural values, and development of women and families across the Southeast. Through initiatives such as this seminar, the Foundation continues to champion character development and community empowerment as vital pillars for national progress.

The seminar featured a robust lineup of practical sessions facilitated by leading experts, including Prof. Gloria Ernest-Samuel, Director of the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation, Roz Okagbue, and Grace Okezie, who are experts in education, leadership, communication, and human development. Among the major topics are Training for Behavior Change, Etiquette and Emotional Intelligence Tools for Trainers, effective communication strategies, value-based leadership, mentoring techniques, and approaches to inspiring positive social attitudes among young people.

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Dr. Grace Okudo, representing the Nkata Ndi Iyom Igbo Foundation, described the initiative as a strategic response to the growing concerns over declining moral standards and the increasing prevalence of social vices. She emphasised that women, particularly mothers and teachers, remain the first and most influential mentors in every society and must therefore be equipped with contemporary skills for character formation and effective mentoring.

Also speaking, Prof. Gloria Ernest-Samuel, the programme co-organiser, expressed confidence that the knowledge and practical skills acquired during the four-day training would empower participants to return to their respective communities as certified trainers capable of influencing families, schools, faith-based organisations, and youth groups towards lasting behavioural transformation.

The seminar further reinforced the shared commitment of the Nkata Ndi Iyom Igbo Foundation, the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation, and Imo State University to promoting ethical leadership, preserving cultural values, strengthening communities, and raising a generation of responsible, value-driven young people equipped to make meaningful contributions to Nigeria’s future.