Growing up, I had challenges I had to ride through, my well-rooted Christian background notwithstanding. My strong moral position and what I turned out to be today are sheer acts of God. I had little or no counsel as to how to live as a youth. I made mistakes at various times and also learned from them.

Specialized youth counseling was very rare for the young folks of my time. The only sources of counseling I got were the teachings at the Scripture Union (SU) fellowship and my parents, of course, which were pivotal to my spiritual development and character. God was always watching my back, I can say!

Youth at every given time and in every generation go through pressures. Today’s youth are not exempted from these pressures. They are continuously barraged with varying strains, ranging from negative influences from social media, entertainment, dysfunctional homes, religious bigotry, identity questions, etc. These realities elicited the fervor in me to reach out to the youth in Nigeria and, by extension, the world.

My passion for the youth was further intensified and broadened while pastoring at different times. I had to personally counsel and educate them as they approach my desk for spiritual direction as their pastor. The burden to reach out to them became increasingly wrapped up in my heart, which naturally exerted a pull on the young folks towards me.