A former National Vice President of the National Youths Council of Nigeria, Dr Prince Echem, has stressed the need for compatriots to always strive to be outstanding in their endeavors to promote national growth.

Echem, a recipient of the West African Institute for Public Administrators and Managers’ honorary doctorate award, gave the advice on Sunday in Abuja.

Echem said, “There is no discrimination against excellence; the quest for all that we are doing in life is to promote excellence and exceptional behaviour.

“If we find excellence in different sectors of our life, you can be very sure that our system and human existence will flourish.

“What we have is that there are lots of people who are not excellent in what they do, they are not committed, they do not dream to be exceptional in their different fields.

“So, what we are discussing is that today if we can all imbibe the attitude of excellence in what we are doing, even in Nigeria as a nation, we would flourish.”

Echem was also former Deputy National Coordinator, Nigerian Youth Compact on COVID-19, mentioned that people can neither give what the do not have, nor manufacture them.

“You exhibit what you have from the inside and that has been the challenge we have, even at the political and leadership levels.

“Most times, people who are not excellent are people that get into leadership positions and wanting them to become what they are not, is impossible.

“So, first of all you have to become excellent minded to be able to deliver what you carry inside.

“We are encouraging every youth, especially our leaders who are emerging to imbibe culture and value of excellence, it is through that we can impact our society immensely,” he added.

He decried practices whereby, society celebrate people on grounds of packaged programmes at the expense of others that are hardworking in various sectors, to have hindered growth of the country.

“I am one of the people who believe that the Big-Brother-Naija programme should be scrapped, because it is a major distraction to lots of young people who are working hard.

“If you are walking along streets of Nigeria, there are lots of young people who are doing great things, but are not recognised.

“People who are employing other young people, sponsoring other young people, doing great things across Nigeria, but they are not in any way recognised.

“Yet, every year, MultiChoice brings few young people together, that is not what we are talking about, it is a misplaced priority.

“If Nigerians begin to imbibe the culture of excellence, the Sky is not just our limit, it could also be our starting points, because that is the basis for everything.

“You have to be excellent in your conduct, character, at work places as civil servants and politicians; there are some culture that should guide your daily dealings and when you have those things, you can imagine what Nigeria will become,” he said.

-NAN