Your dreams are attainable, Mariam Mohammed tells young Nigerians at MYF

Mariam Mohammed, the founder of Maktoub Media, says Nigerian youths should not give up on their dreams regardless of obstacles.

Mohammed, who spoke in Abuja at the 2024 edition of the annual Maktoub Youth Forum (MYF), said the programme was organised to help minimise pitfalls in the pursuit of success by young Nigerians.

She noted that one must be willing to face the downsides and obstacles that come with personal growth to become successful in life.

“You know there are always downsides to everything. The downside to programmes like this is that it reopens old and buried wounds. People think holding a mentorship programme is fancy,” she said.

“But it isn’t. You’re like a guinea pig when you hold this programme, because you have to tell stories of how you got here.

“And I kid you not, those stories are not pretty a lot of the time. A lot of times, you break down telling those stories, and not because you’re weak, but because you can’t believe you made it this far. If we all had to stand here and tell you our stories of how we got to where we are today, you would understand that.

“You think of times you’ve given up and given down. Sometimes, it goes as far as wanting to end it all.

“So, we hold programmes like this to let you know we are your guinea pigs, so you don’t make the mistakes we made in life, so you can skip the hurdles, maybe not entirely, but well enough to get through life. This is because life will give you uppercuts.

“These programmes help you to understand that those uppercuts will heal, and all you need are teachers here and there, and you will be fine.”

Aisha Mohammed, an assistant controller with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), cautioned the youths to beware of the dangers that social media portends.

Mohammed advised that young people should not take everything at face value, stressing that they should not be misled by what they see on social media.

“Social media has become an integral part of our lives, but it is essential to distinguish between social media and our reality. There is always a contrast between what we are and what we project to the public on social media,” she said.

This contrast is at the root of many social, political, spiritual, and economic crises in the larger society.

“Social media is about perception, projection, and deliberate programming. The pressure to present a perfect online image can lead to a feeling of inadequacy and lack of contentment because you tend to always compare yourself to what other people are posting, and it’s not the reality. Those things are not real; we all know that.

“So, we try to engage the youth to tell them that not everything we see online is reality. And finding yourself makes you feel that you are not worthy of being alive even because we have cases of people committing suicide from social media, cyberbullying, and, as I mentioned earlier, sexual assault.”