The best story about 'me' by Olori magazine (olorimag.com)

Ogbuagu “Shiine” Kenechukwu is the founder and director of S.H.I.I.N.E, an Interdenominational group, which seeks to promote the strengths of Nigerian youth towards engineering the country’s economic and social growth.
He spoke to us about the vision of the S.H.I.I.N.E group towards achieving a better Nigeria.

Tell us about how you got started with the S.H.I.I.N.E group?

At the age of 17, I became restless with the knowledge that many poor people were ignorant towards their own hidden greatness. I had this passion to encourage and motivate people to utilize whatever potential lied within them. At 18, I founded SHIINE to create a platform for people through seminars, workshops, magazines, talent hunts and online groups, to come together and foster those potentials.

What is the message that S.H.I.I.N.E is telling the world right now?

Right now, we have a project we are working on called ‘ProjectChoose the Right Career’ (PCTRC). We use this medium to work with the government in making it compulsory for every school to have at least two counsellors who will support young people in choosing the best path towards careers that fuel their passions but are essential in the vision of a better Nigeria. Nigeria has so much to give the world and we want to be a part of making this happen. This is our message to Nigeria and the world at large.

Tell us about some of the achievements S.H.I.N.N.E has made?

On the 18th of March 2011, SHIINE organized her first seminar and to date there have been two seminars on the theme of ‘Career Development/Entrepreneurship’. We gave away 20 career and educational books to two schools, without sponsors, and plan on doing much more, including publishing our first campus magazine.

What do you love most about the work you do?

It gives me great satisfaction seeing people inspired to do something they wouldn’t have otherwise done.

What has been the hardest challenge S.H.I.I.N.E has had to overcome?

Hmm…the hardest challenge, I would say, is combining the passion of the S.H.I.I,N,E crew and myself with the academics. We are making good progress.

Apart from God what or who inspires your work?

It goes without saying God is my first inspiration, but also I have to give credit to Toyosi Akerele (RISE). Her work in training and developing young people in the Nigerian workplace is invigorating. It keeps motivated towards the cause. She is a great inspiration.

If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive, who what it be and what would you ask them?

I would love to meet Martin Luther King jnr. and Thomas Edison. I would ask them, “What made them take one more step when everyone said it was over?”

If you had to be a biblical character who would it be and why?

I would want to be David. When he was before God, he dropped his bravery, pride, wealth and everything. He loved God passionately and his courage could not be omitted.

If there was a word of wisdom you could leave to the world what would it be?

We all can and we can if we will…so let’s keep SHIINE’ing’.