In a bid to shape the next generation of impactful leaders, a non-profit organization has taken a crucial message on emotional intelligence to students in Lagos.
Smart Teens Workshop Focuses on Holistic Development
The Mastermind Community Foundation recently held its 2025 Smart Teens Workshop in collaboration with Lagos State Education District 6. The event, which took place on 6 December 2025, was themed 'Mastering Emotional and Social Intelligence for Holistic Success'.
Convener of the foundation, Vivian Oghene, explained that the initiative was designed as an interactive and practical guide. Its core purpose is to help students understand and manage their own emotions while simultaneously building healthier relationships with others.
Oghene highlighted the modern challenges young people face, noting that social media, peer pressure, and various global influences significantly shape their behaviour and choices. She argued that this new landscape makes strong emotional and social skills more critical than ever before for Nigerian youth.
Why EQ Trumps IQ for True Success
"To truly succeed in life and leadership, we need more than intelligence quotient," Vivian Oghene told the participants. "We need emotional quotient, the ability to understand ourselves, manage our emotions, and empathise with others."
This sentiment was strongly echoed by the guest speaker at the event. Olalekan Oyinlade, the Managing Director of emPLE General Insurance, emphasized that a person's greatest asset is their mind.
"Whatever the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve," Oyinlade stated. "If you have a smart mind, you will reflect, think critically in taking decision. And that is where intelligence, emotion and relationship with people come in. So, the first thing that we need to develop is our emotional intelligence."
Students Applaud Impactful Initiative
The workshop received positive feedback from the young attendees who found the lessons invaluable. Speaking on behalf of the participants, AbdulRaheem Amirah from Army Comprehensive Senior School and Adegbemi AbdulWaris from Army Children Senior High School expressed their gratitude.
They appreciated the organizers for the inspiring initiative, which equipped them with tools not typically emphasized in standard academic curricula. The foundation's effort underscores a growing recognition in Nigeria's educational sphere: that holistic success requires more than just academic excellence.
By fostering emotional intelligence in schools, initiatives like this aim to build a generation of leaders who are not only smart but also self-aware, resilient, and capable of building strong, empathetic communities.
