What’s more awesome than starting 2021 with a collaborative big bang?! That’s right. On the 25th of December 2020, we announced the launch of our exciting new magazine for young African changemakers titled Z’axis Magazine because we want everyone to understand that we are never alone in our changemaking journeys.
As though that wasn’t enough, between January 4 to January 18, 2021, Bridge Connect Africa Initiative and Z’axis Magazine decided to partner and run an exciting New Year Giveaway Contest, and 2 fantastic winners emerged from this contest: Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez and Emmanuel Chika Eunice.
But first, let’s meet one of our winners: Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez.
Who is Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez?
Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez is a social activist, writer, public speaker, and a social development worker with over 3 years of experience in community services. He is also the Cofounder of WeCan Africa Initiative, an organization working towards promoting rural women, girls and youth economic empowerment and rights.
In his own words, “I earned a degree in Mass Communication from Bayero University, Kano, and in September 2020, I was a winner of a micro-grant award for community champions in social services, awarded by the Center for Information Technology and Development supported by MacArthur Foundation. In December 2020, I was also selected among other youth leaders by the Nigerian Youth SDGs for Decent Work for the Decent Work Youth Lab to chart solutions to youth employment challenges in the country.”
As a young Nigerian leader, Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez indeed has an insatiable passion for working with young people of like minds to bring about the needed changes and development in the society. This is why he continues to serve as the Senior Program Officer of WeCan Africa Initiative, where he has been empowering vulnerable rural women, girls and youth for the past 3 years.
When you wake up every day, who makes you deeply proud? And who inspires you the most to live and lead your best life?
That’s what we asked Etudaye and for him, he confesses that his parents are his greatest inspiration!
“I grew up living with both parents. Despite not being very wealthy, their sacrifice, willingness, and doggedness to see that I and my siblings became the people we are today and the people we are growing into, has always made me feel inspired and proud to live and lead the best life for myself. So every day, when I wake up, even if I am down with the pangs of failure or disappointment, and I think about them and the kind of person they would love to see me become after all they have sacrificed, my hope is rekindled and I never see ‘giving up’ as an option!”
What is a quote or principle Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez has always lived his life by?
Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.
Brian Tracy
“Since I came across this quote by Brain Tracy, I have become more conscious about learning and relearning, especially about what I do. To me, I believe the best way to lead well and become great in whatever one does is by being ready and open to learning. Hard work, prayer, impact, and humility have also been the most important principles I have adopted to always guide me in many of the things I do.”
Is there any project you are currently working on right now that you want others to know about?
“In September 2020, I led my team members (WeCan Africa Initiative) to launch the Skill up to Stay Safe and Live Good project aimed at empowering 2000 rural community youth aged 18 – 29 and especially women and girls (at least 60%) in Kano with vocational skills and entrepreneurship knowledge to become extra innovative to access and create business and economic opportunities within their immediate communities, and improve their livelihoods in an economically, socially and entrepreneurially sustainable way. Through the project, about 200 women, girls and youth have been empowered with various entrepreneurship skills 30 of which were linked with the Bank of Industry, Nigeria for a Mini Start-up Grant of N30,000 naira each to further procure the needed toolkits to venture into their desired businesses. I have a vision to become one of the strongest resource points for youth, women and girls’ capacity building for their social, entrepreneurial and leadership development and sustainability towards change inspiration.”
For Etudaye Musa Abdulazeez, creating impact and making change in his immediate society has always been a passion and this is one of the things he feels fulfilled about doing regardless of the stress or the energy it takes to achieve.
“Like I also stated earlier, I am very positive and open to learning. So I will be glad to utilize all opportunities available to learn about impact making. Thank you Z’axis and Bridge Connect Africa for this wonderful opportunity. I will always be grateful!” He enthused in his closing statement.
