Victor Ojelabi’s Watch impressed at RYLA 2026 in Lagos, winning drama, securing two second-place finishes and five internship opportunities

President-Elect Victor Ojelabi’s Watch recorded a strong run of competition victories, individual honours and internship opportunities as Rotary International District 9112 concluded RYLA 2026 at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Sea School, Apapa, Lagos, on Sunday, 23 August 2026.

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The eight-day Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, themed “Today’s Innovators, Tomorrow’s Leaders”, brought together 466 young people aged 14 to 25 for leadership training, character development, entrepreneurship, innovation, community service and practical life skills.

For Victor Ojelabi’s Watch, the closing ceremony provided a particularly rewarding conclusion to an intensive week of competition, collaboration and personal development.

The Watch won first place in the Drama Presentation competition, securing one of the academy’s major collective honours.

Igboanugo Assumpta added an individual distinction by finishing second in the Miss RYLA contest, while Hassan Omotolani also finished second in the Treasure Hunt competition.

Hassan’s Treasure Hunt performance came with a ₦100,000 cash prize presented by RYLA Chairman Dr Richard Edi, adding a financial reward to the Watch’s competitive achievements.

The opportunities extended beyond the formal competitions.

Members of the Watch were selected for internship opportunities with G Kontractors through an initiative sponsored by Edi.

The placements are designed to give the young participants practical workplace exposure, professional skills and opportunities to develop useful networks.

The selected participants included Hassan, Akinluyi Atinuke, Omozokpea Blessing Efe, Azeezat Oluwapelumi Ibikunle, Chijioke Benjamin and Olagbaiye Oluwanifemi.

The internship initiative is particularly significant because it extends the value of RYLA beyond the eight-day residential programme.

While awards recognise achievement during the academy, workplace exposure can give participants an opportunity to apply lessons from the programme in a professional environment.

The Watch also recorded other individual moments of recognition.

Akinluyi Atinuke received ₦25,000 from veteran comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, during the opening ceremony, according to the Watch’s post-RYLA report.

John Chidera Favour also received ₦20,000 from a Rotarian.

Those recognitions added to a broader pattern of achievement across the Watch, covering creativity, confidence, problem-solving and personal development rather than a single competition.

The results came against the wider ambitions of Rotary District 9112 for RYLA 2026.

District Governor Rtn. Layi Abidoye had said before the academy that the programme was designed not only to develop young leaders but also to help participants build relationships that could remain valuable long after the camp.

“We want the children to bond to have a network that will last them for their lifetime,” Abidoye said, describing the initiative as part of Rotary’s effort to “build the leaders of tomorrow”.

Edi similarly framed the academy as a long-term investment in young people, with entrepreneurship, counselling and leadership development forming part of the programme.

“We are preparing the children for tomorrow’s future,” Edi said before the academy.

The 2026 edition continued a programme that has become an important part of District 9112’s youth development activities.

The district held RYLA at the Sea School in Apapa from 3 to 10 August 2025. District records put participation at about 392 young people, while another official account of the closing ceremony recorded 396 Rylarians.

The 2025 programme combined leadership and citizenship development with vocational and technology training, including exposure to data and artificial intelligence, Microsoft Office applications and practical trades.

District 9112 also sought to create pathways for participants to remain connected with Rotary after the residential programme through Interact, Rotaract and the RYLA alumni network.

That approach was retained and expanded in 2026.

Abidoye said participants would continue to have access to youth development opportunities after the academy, while Edi said Rylarians would be encouraged and monitored as they applied lessons from the programme in their communities.

That longer-term approach gives the internship selections involving members of Victor Ojelabi’s Watch particular importance.

The immediate achievement is clear. The Watch won the drama competition, produced two second-place finishers, secured internship opportunities for its members and recorded additional individual financial recognitions.

The more meaningful measure of success, however, will come after the applause and certificates.

The internships can provide a bridge between leadership training and the workplace, while the Rotary networks developed during the academy could give participants relationships and mentorship that continue well beyond their time at Sea School.

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For the 466 young people who completed RYLA 2026, the closing ceremony marked the end of eight days in Apapa. For members of Victor Ojelabi’s Watch, the awards and opportunities may instead represent the beginning of a much longer journey in leadership, education, service and professional development.