By Joan Yakubu
When hoodlums were out on the street during the EndSARS protests and people were idle during the COVID-19 lockdown, someone in her little space decided to find values in young people living on the street. Uduogu Ukamaka Makizi aka Street Apostle launched a foundation to contribute to the betterment of the society, she speaks with BONews Service during the official launch of Makizi F5 Foundation in Lagos.
Speaking about how the foundation started, Makizi said that during the lockdown, the idea was to gather people together from the street for the purpose of keeping fit and making good use of their time.
“The foundation started during the lockdown, there were a lot of idle people on the street. We gathered people together, shared a common value which is fitness. Then after the lockdown, we created a fitness community”.
Speaking about the launch, Makizi said that the launch of the foundation is very significant because the organization is out there to correct what the street stands for to what it should be.
“It marks a change in government on the street, we have come to take over the street. This is spiritual, physical and it is also political. We are telling the world that there is a new government, an organization that is out there to correct what the street used to stand for to what it should be”.
She said that the activities of the foundation is driven towards talking to youth on how to live a purposeful live by character and mind reformation.
“We are mind reformers, we go out to correct some wrongs on the street. When there is a character reformation, we empower their mind. We talk to youth on how to live a purpose life and to be productive. When you come through us, you become productive spiritually, emotionally, economically, mentally and physically”.
Makizi disclosed that the F5 in the foundation has a significance which are Faith, Fitness, Food, Finance and the Family.
“F5 stands for faith, we are bounded in faith, it talks about faith in Christ Jesus, it talks about Fitness, we use fitness in trapping the youths together, it is more like honey to the bee. We talk about food, how to eat healthy and live well; we talk about finance to empower the grass root economically. And family, we believe is the basic of the society.”
With high hopes, the street Apostle believes that in the next couple of years, the foundation would have reached out to millions of youths with the right ideology.
“In the next couple of years, there should be millions of youth out there that we would have influenced with the right ideology.”
She added that, “Economically, they should be proud to run their mind, spiritually, how to have fellowship with their God and fitness, how to keep fit and be healthy. So in the next couple of years, is all about changing ideas on the street”.
She advised that youths should find a purpose because it will help them live right and make right decisions.
“My advice for youth out there is to find a purpose. When you find a purpose, you will live right. If you are a thug on the street of a gangster and you have a purpose, you will live right.
She added that “your purpose will drive you, because you have something to live for and you want to do it rightly. So when you find a purpose, you must have a fellowship with your Creator. Get a fellowship with your Creator and live for the purpose”.