iFinesse, a social etiquette initiative determined to rebuild Nigeria’s value system and change Nigerians’ attitudes, will be inaugurated on April 10, 2025, at Protea Hotel, by Marriott, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Initiated by Yvonne Ebbi, Lead Consultant at The Etiquette Place (a corporate finishing school) and author of ‘My Little Book of Etiquette,’ iFinesse aims to build a better society by teaching school-aged children personal hygiene, social etiquette, and good manners.
An etiquette coach for corporate organisations, Ebbi was inspired by a friend who had attended one of her sessions to write a book on etiquette, educating people on the subject. The result ‘My Little Book of Etiquette’, sold like ‘hot cakes’, indicating society’s need for it.
“Etiquette which includes personal hygiene, good table manners, a good speaking and dress sense will not only build children’s confidence but open doors that education cannot. Further, a person with a good self-worth is not willing to do anything – like dating a married man, or being a baby mama.
“The choice to catch them young by working with primary school children,” Ebbi continued, “lies in the fact that children can impact their parents or guardians’ actions. When children learn etiquette lessons, they share the knowledge with them by saying to them, ‘Mum, you don’t throw dirt out the window’. Or ‘Dad, you shouldn’t run the red lights’.
“Good manners and social graces build children’s confidence and make them empathetic, courteous and respectful people.
“We are calling on government institutions, organizations and individuals to partner and collaborate with us to help us build a culture and a society of good conduct, courteous and polite people.”
The inauguration, to be attended by the deputy governor of Lagos State, and wife of the Lagos State Governor, will host corporate organisations, stakeholders to express the initiative’s mandate and attract their support towards its goal of distributing a million copies of ‘My Little Book of Etiquette’ to public school pupils, students and teachers.
“We want to visit and organize more etiquette lessons and make ‘My Little Book of Etiquette’ available to every child and teacher in public schools, starting with Lagos State.”
The expansion of the initiative to secondary school, Ebbi said depends on the level of sponsorship received.
Thus far, iFinesse has visited eight schools – Ikeja Primary School, Military Cantonment Primary School, Military Primary School, Special Correctional Center for Boys, Agidingbi Primary School, Ojodu Primary School I, Ojodu Primary School II, and Ojodu Primary School III – and with the support of the Lagos State government and SUBEB, was able to distribute the books to every student.
While the initiative is daunting and capital-intensive, Ebbi is not afraid of the future, stating, “It is a long-term project, and we are not in a hurry.”
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