Exemplifying right values of youth heroes

 By Menidin Egbo

Many young people even before youth age have continued to prove that right vision, creativity and hard work hold enormous promise to change life for the better (for one and all). 

Master David Nengi Ayomide Pepple

 Anciently, the Bible records captured the exemplary cases of Samuel the prophet, Jeremiah, and even Joseph the dreamer. From very young age, such personalities, like these prophets, kept committing their life mission toward addressing adverse circumstances of individuals and nations, which they turn into variables and assets for fortune and hope. Master David Nengi Ayomide Pepple of eleven years of age is one of such wonder personalities of today’s world, with incredible resourceful capacity to dream big, and run with amazing vision as one committed to creating high-impacts to change lives and enhance social experiences.

In fact, citing the story of young David Nengi Ayomide (or DNA Pepple, for short) is simply to echo one inspiring case of highly gifted people; that is, those who from a young age possess rare capacities and are burning with passion for turning around the turbulence of today’s world into desirable meaning. The case of DNA Pepple today, in no small measure, represents one spectacular reality about the human power for making a difference in the lives of diverse people such as we have in Nigeria -with a strong population of about 200 million.

At the very young age (of three to four years) the artistic creativity in DNA Pepple had basically started to take form, revealing that much promise of hope can be explored by hard work and dogged vision –to reach out to many lives with enhanced benefits. At eleven years of age, young DNA Pepple has risen to where he can boldly state:  “I do waste to wealth art creations and animations, and I use the proceeds from my art works to fund my foundation, Ayomide and Ibitamuno Children Foundation”. Burning with the vision of his foundation, this young creative artist is ever beckoning with confidence and courage to anyone willing to partner with the foundation’s mission to bring hope to the very near hopeless groups of people in the society.

It is true that care for people in need of help in society is one thing that calls forth the greatness and generosity of great minds. For young DNA Pepple, it is even a thing of modeling an attitude of great pleasure and joy by visiting “orphanages and donate food items, beverages and drinks” to the inmates. Currently, Master Pepple is running a series of “waste to wealth charity art exhibitions and campaigns to raise funds for medical treatment” of the sick.

Dreaming about the vision of creating hope for children in distress (or in near hopeless situations) certainly demands some genius-type courage, and for DNA Pepple, this is about the matter that makes his life meaningful through activities of his Ayomide and Ibitamuno Children Foundation. “My Foundation takes care of children with health challenges whose parents cannot pay their hospital bills, the orphans, the less privileged and street children”, that is how DNA Pepple would always sing that pride of being on the beat of high-pitched commitment to be socially relevant; and in this case, being relevant not only to himself but also to the lives of many who are painfully stricken with unfortunate conditions of the daily hard life of today.

Being an advocate for social justice through rights promotion is another venture reminding the entire world that God cares for those facing or burdened by one form of socially induced vulnerability or the other (including cases of exclusion, denial, discrimination, stigmatization, exploitation, victimization, oppression and so on). Besides, the social justice promotion calling requires, realistically, some personal sacrifice. For DNA Pepple, this sacrifice is at the core of his commitment to serve the rights-based needs of children; thus, he will always declare: “I use my art works to campaign for the child’s rights…”; that is, even as he would rather want to see that no child is left behind or abandoned in the world development space of today.

In this present age of the twenty-first century, where safe environment is keenly promoted –to delicately balance it with social concerns and economic interests, for ensuring that sustainable development must be globally prioritized across all industrial and individual endeavours, DNA Pepple’s campaign for “safe environment” (and other related matters) remains impressive; portraying a keen love for nature and its unique capacity for sustainability maintanance. His effort clearly testifies of personal inspiration for the kind of great things that hold promise for a global order in a better world. Young Pepple’s passion, drive, and effort in this regard, represent a telling endeavour in line with the tune of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted as post-2015 governance framework for action by the global community five years ago –in Paris, France –for making the world a better place for the present and future generations.

 

Technological innovations and scientific inventions are a key to turning society around for a better future with better services and benefits. Those who make worthy breakthroughs in the realm of science and technology (no matter their age) become respected as vendors and inventors of good things of life. This is also true of Master DNA Pepple, who in the year 2018 (specifically at the age of nine) invented a “miniature military patrol boat that runs on renewable energy”. As it were, the admiring larger society is today being awaited to propel the momentum from such contributions and great feats across Nigeria towards moving up to higher realities of experience and advancement.

Indeed, many a youth would want to dream of big projects, like Master DNA Pepples does. Among some of the many dreams of Master Pepple are: building pediatric hospitals in various parts of Nigeria; establishing a plastic recycling plant to convert waste to wealth; setting up of a multi-purpose art, science and technology center as contribution to national growth; and, building of ultra-modern orphanage homes with educational facilities across various parts of Nigeria.

Recognition for courage, ingenuity, hard work, and committed diligence can be rightly reserved for those who merit it by achievement; that is, the likes of young talented DNA Pepple who are not relenting in exemplifying such right attributes and values. Having won a price of the Indomie Independence Day Awards for Heroes of Nigeria (IIDA) at the age of nine, by coming out as overall first in the “Social Bravery Category at the 11th edition” of the contest, it was not  surprising that DNA Pepple  was rightly inducted into the prestigious Indomie Hall Of Fame. This very recognition of the IIDA Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative –sponsored by Dufil Prima Foods Company (producers of the Indomie brand of products) –accorded Master Pepple the privilege to be named among 40 Nigerians so far inducted into the Indomie Hall of Fame since inception of the contest in 2008.

The old adage has it that if all would sow goodwill in their personal conduct and acts of charity, then the harvest of better things would abound in many folds for the benefit of the larger society. The altruism that goes with such goodwill gesture as this, was demonstrated by DNA Pepple when he was asked at the public award ceremony, what he would do with his one million Naira IIDA prize. He voluntarily promised to dedicate the full monetary award for fhe overseas treatment of his immediate younger brother (Ibitamuno) –and the balance, for supporting education and healthcare of orphans and vulnerable children. (Ibitamuno became strickened with cerebral palsy from infancy). Parents in Nigeria will do well to inculcate DNA Pepple’s kind of goodwill latitude in all our children.

Undeniably, many a youth in Nigeria, like Master Pepple, would always cherish the thought of dreaming out great visions for using creativity and hard work to make high-impact contributions to life –for enhancing conditions that improve living standards. Certainly, that is a better way of living a life driven by higher values –rather than being among those who just wait for things to happen while doing nothing.

It is apparent from the young man, Master Pepple, clearly a youth hero (borne on August 19, 2009 to Mr. Hamilton Pepple of Opobo town in Rivers State, and his wife, Mrs. Ojuetimi Pepple), that those minds driven by right values, irrespective of age, would naturally push on with spectacular advances. People like him would continue to exemplify the passion for contributing enormously to improve the path of the good life as treasured by the larger society.