Light A Match Nigeria is a not for profit initiative that will run under the registered Non Governmental Organization ‘Jacobs Child.’
The vision of Light A Match is to identify, prepare and reward young change agents within the Nigerian community.
It is targeted at children who are “coming of age”. Children who are on the cusp of being able to exercise their right to vote. (Specifically children between the age bracket of 14-18 years.)
The LAM Academy is situated in Lagos, Nigeria and is targeted at Nigerian children between the ages of 14-18 years who will be selected entirely on merit. As such, they will not be required to pay to participate.
Various schools and similar organizations will be approached with a list of criteria for the selection of delegates who match or exceed these criteria.
Once enrolled, the delegates will begin intensive training via full immersion into carefully created simulations designed to bring out the excellence within each of them.
Delegates must successfully complete all four corps of the academy to be able to join our alumni, the elite Purple Flame.
The Red Corps is where the CORE VALUES of LAM (Courage, Genius and Heart) Are introduced and infused into the entrants. This is where "re-construction" and "re-orientation" occurs. This is where the "SHOULD BEES" are released into their minds. Focus here is on "IDEALS".
The Orange Corps is where the "CAN BEES" begin to evolve. The focus in this phase will be on POTENTIAL. Throughout this phase, the goal will be identifying, harnessing, nurturing and deploying potential.
The White Corps is the penultimate phase of the session. This is where we meet the "WILL BEES". The main objective here is the cultivation of the power of VISION. Aspiration and Inspiration will become familiar terms, as the entrants begin to turn their gazes out to their immediate communities.
The final phase of training is the BLUE CORPS. This is where the "MUST BEES" emerge. The focus here is RESOLVE. Standing firm in the face of adversity, scarcity and obscurity. Committing to the decisions made and not relenting until they are achieved.
Courage is the ability to do something in spite of fear. It is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty for what one believes to be true or right. At Light A Match Nigeria, we are of the unwavering belief that there are ideals worth fighting for. The “Nigerian Ideal” is one of such and it is our goal to strive daily towards that ideal.
Genius is the trait within an individual that is singular because it exceeds normal expectations. It is the factor that distinguishes a person, elevating them from ordinary to extraordinary. At Light A Match Nigeria, we encourage the diligence and resolve it takes to identify and nurture the “Genius Within” every Nigerian. We commit to the pursuit of its recognition, development and celebration within the academy and beyond.
The “Heart of a Thing” is the essence of a thing. The humaneness of the Nigerian is of the utmost importance. Virtues such as honour, compassion, kindness and empathy are highly esteemed. At Light A Match Nigeria, we aim to ensure that these virtues become intrinsic and synonymous with the Nigerian citizen, within these borders and around the world.
The Lam Academy
At the LAM Academy, the method of transformation is by full immersion. Each delegate is deliberately inserted into carefully curated scenarios, with the intent to expose them to events that imitate the world they were born to change.
Each module is designed to reveal what each delegate carries within them, creating life-altering shifts in the way they view the world around them.
“To understand why I’m doing what I’m doing today, you will need to journey with me into the past.
Were we to be able to turn back the hands of time, you and I would be in the year 2020, looking in horror at the events that would bring an end to the peaceful protest we all now refer to as “End Sars.”
Like most Nigerian citizens, I remember exactly where I was when shots were fired. I remember how I felt when Lagos, the city I have lived my entire life, fell deathly quiet.
I remember the aftermath as the wrath of the city was unleashed.
I vowed quietly that the events I witnessed that day would not be in vain. The fallen would never be forgotten.
The GENIUS and potential that were snuffed out the day they were murdered in cold blood.
The COURAGE displayed in dark of night as they sang quietly in the face of gunfire.
The HEART of Nigerians bleeding at the sight of unnecessary brutality.
We will never forget.
Light A Match began that night. It would take another three years for it to see the light of day, but it began where all things begin.
In the dark.
In my heart.
May the genius, courage and heart of the people of Nigeria never fail us.
May they precede and succeed us.
May they become the filter through which this world comes to view us.
SO HELP US GOD!”
Of the many gifts we will give the young delegates who will train at our academy, the gift of this question, as well as its near infinite returns, is possibly the most significant. The proper and frequent use of this question will guarantee that each graduating young citizen will leave our halls with a heart to make a change and the tools to ensure its spread locally and nationwide.
We would like to offer you the same gift today.
Each of us must decide that we will never allow Nigeria to be ridiculed in our presence again. We vow to her that we will uphold her honour. The next time Nigeria is the butt of a joke, we will defend her. The next time we witness divisive acts or comments, we will defend her. We know that wherever we go, there Nigeria is, and we will never be treated better than our country is treated. No matter how far we go or how integrated into a new system we become, we are Nigeria. We carry her wherever we go.
We vow this day, that we will make certain that when people look at us, the image they see will be a deliberately curated one. They will see the Nigeria we are proud of. The Nigeria the whole world will be proud of.
