The 2nd edition of the Values for Daily Living, VDL, International Conference, with the theme “In Pursuit of Excellence,” was held on Friday, October 10, 2025, at the Base Landmark Event Centre, Enugu.
The conference brought together key national stakeholders to reignite conversations on rebuilding Nigeria on the foundation of values.
Organized by the Help Sphere Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to values education, climate action, and humanitarian causes, the event attracted government agencies, development partners, parents, teachers, school owners, youth advocates, and civil society groups.
Among the dignitaries present were the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, as well as representatives of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC), the education community, and religious institutions.
In her welcome address, President of the Foundation and convener of the conference, Mrs. Sandra Ani, traced the journey of the VDL Project from its humble beginnings to a nationwide movement.
She said: “The VDL Project started as my personal initiative during my National Youth Service in Akwa Ibom State in 2013. What began as a small community development effort, renovating an orphanage, empowering youths, and providing eye care to the vulnerable, has now evolved into a values advocacy movement touching lives across Nigeria.”
A major highlight of the conference was the Grand Finale of the 2025 VDL National Essay Competition, which recorded over 800 entries from both tertiary and secondary school students across the country.
After a keenly contested selection process, Dickson Sunday, from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, emerged winner of the Tertiary Category, going home with a N1,000,000 cash prize, while Amarachi Nkemakolam Moses, from the Federal Government Girls College, Lagos, clinched first place in the Secondary School Category, receiving N500,000.
The top two finalists in each category also received consolation prizes, while the top 20 most outstanding participants were decorated as VDL Ambassadors.
According to Mrs. Ani, the newly decorated ambassadors will “lead advocacy campaigns across their states and institutions, promoting integrity, empathy, discipline, and civic responsibility among young Nigerians.”
In his keynote address, the NOA boss, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, commended the Help Sphere Foundation for its initiative in promoting values among young people.
He said: “Our agency is fully committed to supporting organisations like the Help Sphere Foundation that are helping to rebuild the moral fibre of this nation. Civic reorientation is everyone’s responsibility, and we must all work together to restore the values that define us as Nigerians.”
Other speakers and panelists at the conference echoed the call for collective responsibility among government, families, schools, and communities in rebuilding the moral foundation of the nation.
The event ended on an optimistic note, as participants, partners, and young leaders pledged renewed commitment to the Values for Daily Living Campaign, a national movement inspiring Nigerians to “live right, lead right, and influence right.”
