Free At Last 10th Anniversary Sparks Excitement Amongst Youths in Bonny Island

Residents of Bonny Island in Rivers State are exhilarating as Free At Last 10.0 comes up on Saturday, August 2, 2025 with exciting activities.

The annual event which seeks to celebrate young people exiting secondary school and assist them transition from school life to responsible life future is organized by the Free At Last Initiative, a non-governmental organization based in Rivers State.

Founder and Convener of Free At Last Initiative, Inyesoibim Abbey told Kristina Reports that this year’s event will hold at Government Girls Secondary School, Finima, Bonny.

She added that some of the key features include keynote speeches, exhibitions from previous interns, panel discussion, fun games, public speaking, award presentations, and lots more.  

She used the opportunity to express the appreciation of her organization to organizations and individuals that have supported the programme over the years.

According to her, these include Cedars Productivity Hub, Youth Resource Center, Successful Kala Ventures, Pearls with Eno, Technoville Innovation Hub, Toplearn Horizon, House of Representatives member, Cyril Hart, and late Christaben Hart, who during her lifetime was a one-time Supervisor for Education in Bonny LGA.

Ms Abbey disclosed that so far, over 150 beneficiaries have been impacted by the programme which began in 2016, explaining that “every year we host between 250 and 500 students”, adding that “we have trained these young ones in Photography, Tailoring, Hairdressing, Catering, Digital Literacy, Wall paper installation and Medicals”.

“The goal has been sustainable impact in the lives of these young students and giving them a sense of direction and focus on their future as they leave secondary school. Maybe, not all of them will have the opportunity of going to the university but they will have soft skills with which they can fend for themselves.”

She invited parents, educationists and other stakeholders to join the Free At Last team on Saturday as they celebrate what she described as “10 wonderful years of quiet but sustainable impact”.

Also, speaking, two beneficiaries of the programme, Fedison Benstowe and Miracle Udeme expressed excitement over the programme, explaining that it has really impacted their lives positively.

According to Udeme, she joined the programme after her secondary school graduation and benefitted from the internship which saw her learn Tailoring and graduated recently, asserting with confidence that “I can now make dresses for people and they pay me and I use the money to take care of myself”.

On his part, Fedison Benstowe informed that being part of the programme prepared him for his time on campus as an undergraduate as it equipped him with the requisite skills and mindset to pursue his academics and focus on his future.

Free At Last Initiative was conceptualized by secondary school student, Tovia Brown, and transformed into a tangible vision by Inyesoibim Abbey, a classroom teacher, who has over the years been working with her friend, Albertha Irimagha, a youth development enthusiast, to empower young people with soft skills, value orientation and knowledge base to fight for their future.