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Tag: youths

  • Summiteers challenge youths on leadership

    They were not simply reminded that they are leaders of tomorrow. At a summit in Enugu organised by the state youth council, youths were also told to be honest, hard-working and pursue their skills rather than wait for government or search endlessly for white collar jobs. Youths can outperform their older counterparts, declared Prof. Hillary Edeoga, a former Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.

    Edeoga was one of several attendees of the summit who urged the youths to take their place in the development of the nation.

    The summit was titled “Youths as Agents of Positive Change”.

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was represented by his Special Adviser on Youth Affairs, Dr. Chukwuemeka Asogwa.

    Prof Edeoga stressed the need for youths to be empowered and involved in policymaking.

    “The youths are the leaders of today and tomorrow,” Prof. Edeoga said. “Youths have a role in sustainable development for they are the future. They can be and are part of the solution. Young people have a role in building and rebuilding themselves, their families, their communities, and the larger institutions that shape the quality of life. Every nation needs a significant number of people who are willing to change the status quo, to garner support for innovation and support and advocate for young people.”

    Prof. Edeoga maintained that young people can outperform their older counterparts in leadership and administration roles, owing to their energy and creativity. He credited so many landmark achievements made towards the independence of our nation to the efforts of the Nigerian youths of those days. He then admonished the youths to make honesty and diligence their watchwords.

    One of the guest speakers, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. C.O.C Egumgbe, in his speech, advised the youths to be honest always and to seek competence. Barr. Egumgbe who was also the founding PDP Chairman of Enugu state, maintained that all his life and career, honesty and competence have always stood him out.

    He said, “Young people should always be honest in all their undertakings, especially when they are given opportunities. They shouldn’t be after what amount of money they could amass, but should use every opportunity to attain competence.”

    Another speaker, the South-South Regional Recovery Manager, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Ejike Aroh, who delivered his speech in Igbo language,  encouraged the youths to be very productive and to always develop their selves and their acquired skills/talents. He frowned at the habit of waiting for unavailable white collar jobs instead of engaging oneself in a worthwhile venture. He said, “Don’t wait for white collar jobs, package whatever business or skills you have and earn a living with it.”

    He also cited honesty and integrity as the two indispensable qualities for the growth and development of any youth.

    Mr. Aroh further appreciated His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State and Dr. Chukwuemeka Asogwa the SA to the Governor on Youth Affairs for their thoughtfulness and interest in focusing on the youth who constitute a majority of the population of the state and who have latent potentials that need to be harnessed and properly channelled to achieve positive impact in the society. And for his ardent interest in the propagation of the Igbo cultural heritage and language, Mr. Aroh promised sponsorship for an Igbo writing contest, if organized by the Enugu State Youth outh Council.

    The CEO, Peace Mass Transit Ltd, Dr. Sam Onyishi, in his speech, told the youths to imbibe the attitude of doing things for themselves and not waiting for everything, especially employment from the government. He identified pride and lack of focus as some of the things that militate against the development of Nigerian youths. He advised the youths to be willing and determined to grow from small businesses, and to avoid spending from their businesses still trying to survive. He said, “Stop waiting for the government to give you everything. If you know what you are doing, with N500,000 you are made for life.”

    He advised that youths should come together in partnership, pull their resources together to enable them achieve their aims. “Stop waiting, start doing something. Come together, united we stand, divided we fall.”

    He stated that youths should not be discouraged by the fear of failure. He maintained that failure is a constant in business. “I myself have failed and I still fail in some business decisions. The number of times we failed is not the problem; it is the ability to rise again. Don’t spend from your new business, until you grow the business.” He added.

    The CEO, Softran System Enterprise Nig. Ltd, Chief Chris Onyekachi, in his own speech, maintained that the development of any nation is highly linked to how empowered are her youths. He said that the youth must seriously work towards their personal development and that of their society too. He stated that no nation attains greatness without the growth and development of her young people, hence the need for the society to treat as very important, issues bothering on youth empowerment. He however, enjoined the youth to be honest, hardworking, focused and humble, citing these qualities as the vehicles that have ferried him to the position he has attained today. He said, “Young people are the hope of any nation. They determine the development of any country… I advise you to be hardworking and most importantly, honest. Be honest in all you do. Don’t fall for quick money syndrome. Work hard and stop showing off. Be humble, be focused and pray to God, you will succeed.” He asked youths present in the event to send any well written business proposal of their choice to his official mail. He promised to sponsor the best 20 business proposals received from the youths present at the programme. He also promised to offer free business advice and consultancy services to the youth present, anytime.

    Another main speaker at the summit, the chairman of PENGASSAN, South-South/South-East Zone, Comr. Azubuike, M. Azubuike, also admonished the youths to be innovative, courageous and responsible so as to help take the state and the nation to an enviable height.

    Majority of the speakers at the event frowned at the current trends of unemployed youth using very expensive electronic gadgets such as exotic phones and tablets. They encouraged the youths to concentrate more on building businesses and skills than owning luxuries.

    Other invited guests include the former SA to the Governor of Enugu state on youth affairs, Comr. Barr. Obiora Onyia; the commissioner of Environment and Mineral Resources, Amb. Fidel Ayogu, among others.

    The facilitator of the event and president of Enugu State Youth Council, Comr. Nnaemeka Agada, said that the summit was to support the effort of the governor in his efforts towards the development of the youth in the state.

    Youths present at the event include unemployed graduates and students from different tertiary institutions in the state.

  • ‘Creat jobs for youths’

    ‘Creat jobs for youths’

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has urged Nigerians to encourage business initiatives to create jobs for the youth and boost the economy.

    Speaking at the 38th Kaduna Trade Tair in Kaduna, the agency’s Acting Director-General, Mr Kunle Obanya, called for more collaboration between the private and public sectors to tackle the challenge of unemployment.

    Obanya said the  government could not effectively shoulder the burden of employment creation, especially  in the economic situation facing the nation.

    He, therefore, called on all other stakeholders to support the directorate in resettling beneficiaries of its programmes and schemes who, due to paucity of funds, might not enjoy any start-ups from the NDE.

    He said: “ I urge all categories of  the unemployed to embrace the great opportunities for self-reliance as presented in all states through the National Directorate of Employment. Let me equally re-affirm the commitment of the NDE to the continual provision of innovative employment creation models that will always compliment the micro economic policies of the Federal Government.

    “In the NDE, collaboration towards employment creation is a model that we keep fine tuning in order to meet the ever changing dynamics of mass unemployment. I am glad to state here that our collaboration with other stakeholders in the employment sector is yielding the desired results and we remain committed to expanding the scope of our operations in this regard.’’

    He recalled that in the last one year  12,457 unskilled and unemployed persons benefited from the various employment creation initiatives of the directorate.

  • Ex-Rep to buy 1,000 UTME forms for youths

    Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Bimbo Daramola, is to buy 1,000 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms for Ekiti indigenes.

    The move, according to the APC chieftain, is to relaunch Ekiti to an enviable height in the education ladder and to restore the old glory of the state in education.

    At a press conference tagged: Teaching how to fish, Daramola said the initiative would help students from poor homes get admission into higher institutions this year. He pointed out that youths needed to acquire education to be relevant in the 21st Century economy. He said the initiative would open vistas of opportunities for Ekiti youths.

    Daramola said he regretted the dashing of hopes of many young people in the state by poverty, saying that many had resorted to peasant farming and commercial motorcycle riding as means of livelihood.

    He said the initiative would be carefully executed across the 133 towns in the state to promote scholarship and hard work.

    He said: “Ekiti people benefitted, in no small measures, from the free education policy initiated by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1955. Those who had resigned to consistent farming embraced the policy and many later became great academics.

    “But, at the time Ekiti people were believed to be the best in education. This glory is gradually fading away. I believe no effort should be spared to reignite the flame for education among our youths. Ekiti cannot afford to lay back in education because that was the only flourishing industry we are known for.

    “It is glaring the present government in Ekiti has degraded and debased education by promoting tokenism and poverty-compliant scheme called stomach infrastructure. Little wonder, many of our graduates and young school leavers no prefer Okada riding to seeking admission for higher learning.

    “But time has come to rescue our youths. Ekiti is rich in human resources and this spirit must not be allowed to diminish.”

  • Kogi empowers 2,500 unemployed youths in vocational skills

    The Kogi State government has empowered 2,500 unemployed youths through its Basic Skill Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme.

    The empowerment programme, which began February 9, was held in the three senatorial districts.

    Speaking at the weekend, at the completion of the final phase in Anyigba, Governor Yahaya Bello’s Special Adviser on Job Creation and SMEs Development, Prince Abdulkareem Onyekehi Suleiman, expressed satisfaction with the programme, attributing its success to Bello’s commitment to raising successful entrepreneurs.

    He said government would help certified participants to start up their businesses.

    “Besides the knowledge acquired by the participants, the government, in partnership with Coolink Integrated Services Ltd, will secure loans for them to start up their businesses.

    “Meanwhile, Governor Bello has approved the sponsorship of 10 participants to the United States of America for advanced entrepreneurship development at the upcoming African Global Economic Development Summit in Los Angeles, between March 16 and 18, Suleiman said.

  • Youths’ involvement in crime fighting advocated

    The Technical Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, Mr. Emmanuel Aja, has advocated involvement of youths in the fight against crime.

    Aja, who is also the president-general, Ishiagu Youths Development Association (IYDA), told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) youths knew the communities and people in the communities, hence involving them in crime fighting and control would yield positive result.

    He said: “Security challenges in our communities demand collaboration and cooperation between the police and leadership of the communities, if the war against crime will be won.

    “The inclusion of more youths in the security architecture of the state is pivotal for achieving a crime free society, because every criminal comes from a village and members of a community know themselves.

    “Therefore, the government should involve more youths under the local government area vigilance arrangement to assist in crime fighting, control and prevention.’’

    Aja hailed the government for supporting security agencies and vigilance groups, saying it contributed to the reduction in crimes.

    He appealed to local government chairmen and town union leaders to support government’s efforts by approving and funding vigilance groups.

    “The governor recently donated 16-seater buses to the government approved vigilance groups in 13 local governments.

    “His efforts must be complemented by council chairmen and town union leaders to position vigilance outfits to provide effective service to the rural populace.’’

    The governor’s aide said police breakthrough in the arrest of notorious kidnap and robbery suspects in parts of the state was made possible by involvement of vigilance groups.

  • How to end Niger Delta crisis, by youths

    Stakeholders drawn from the nine states in the Niger Delta region are eager to assist the Federal Government find lasting peace in the region. The stakeholders met recently under the aegis of the Niger Delta Youths Patriot (NDYP) to brainstorm on the real causes of violent agitations from the region and solutions to all the issues.

    During their first national convention held in Yenagoa, the state capital, they concluded that the attitude of oil multinationals was the primary cause of violence. In fact, the National President, NDYP, Mr. David Awasa, directly accused the oil companies of being behind the crisis.

    He said through their divide and rule approach to social and developmental issues, the oil companies were creating injustice and promoting violence.

    “After a long period of research on the solutions to the Niger Delta problems, we notice that majority of the problems are directly or indirectly contributed  by the multinationals.

    “Technically, these problems are created  in the remote  areas where over 75 per cent of oil installations are located”, Awasa said.

    According to him most of the problems manifest in oil-producing communities, which are at the receiving ends of oil exploration.

    To first ameliorate the problems created by multinational, he said the NDYP decided to partner other organisations in breaching the gap by providing empowerment to the neglected oil-bearing communities.

    He named individuals and organisations in the partnership as Defat Global Resources, Step of Faith Instant Food, Kabod Integrated International Ltd,  HIGH Chief Uzoka Ossai,  Gonak Projects Ltd and Sini-Harp Concept (Nig) Ltd.

    Others are De World Galaxy Boutique, De World Galaxy Wine, NUEL Medical  Variety, PIA Medical and Variety , Johnson Digital Primting Press, 3GNetworkServicesLtd,Terriz Hotel  Ltd, Amicable Bussiness Centre, among others.

    He said: “NDYP is a group of professionals, think-tanks, technocrats, oriented men and women in the region. Our aim is to form a strong synergy that will promote and metamorphose peace and stability in the region which has been bedeviled with violence and underdevelopment.

    “The entrepreneurial empowerment skills will include creating skills, techniques in productions and entrepreneurship that will be marketable at the rural areas.

    “Community-to-community sensitization programme for youths who see violence, kidnapping, sea piracy, pipeline vandalism, gunfire agitations, crude oil theft and the amnesty stipends as the only way for survival.

    “Our aim is to break the bridge of communications between the multinationals, government representatives such as councillors, states’ assembly members and Federal House of Representatives”, he said.

    To further tackle the problems and create jobs in oil communities, he said NDYP designed  a micro and macro  mechanized  farming  project. He said the proposal for the project tagged “G0-1+( Agro) will soon be presented to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. According to him, the project if implemented will maximize food  security  in the Niger Delta region and the country.

    He said: “If adopted, this project will go a long way in solving the myriad of problems in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. But If  the project is not timely adopted and implemented to keep youths off their current agitations, youths may be encouraged to continue and increase in techniques in various channels of gunfire agitation”.

    Also speaking, the convention host, Chief  Edege Edeg boasted that NDYP remained the best organization with the best structures to organise and monitor empowerment process of people at the grassroots.

    Edege  advised members to see the group as an instrument that would bring development to Niger Delta people.

    On his part, the National Advisory Council, NDYP, Chief  Gregory  Onah, said with the group’s programmes, industrialization would soon get to rural communities in the region.

    “Our vision is to ensure that the industrialization and economic  empowerment of  the youths  in the  oil region is realized. We shall succeed  in our vision because the vision is  not for personal goal but for the whole of Niger Delta”, he said.

    In his speech, a security expert, Dr. Emmanuel Opia, who represented the group’s Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT), High Chief Godwin Uzoka, lamented that the region has been battling crisis since the discovery of oil in commercial quantity at Oloibiri.

    He said the the crisis was also fueled by the refusal of successive administration to include communities in the management of oil revenue. He noted that there was nothing to show for all the sacrifices made by oil communities.

    He said: “We have put lots of efforts in the past to ensuring that the Niger Delta problems of Neglect are corrected but in vain. Over the years we have failed to receive the reward of  our sacrifice for Nigeria.

    “But the future of the Niger Delta is glorious. Niger Deltans are peace-loving people Today, Niger Delta has given birth to NDYP.

    “NDYP will rewrite  the history of Niger Delta. The multinational oil companies have exploited us for so long”.

    He commended the visits of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to states in the region and his desire to work with rural communities instead of elites.

    “The Acting President says they are tired of working with the elites from the region He says he wants to meet face-to-face with the Niger Delta patriots. He says the region has nothing to show despite its enormous oil revenue for Nigeria”, he said.

    “We should rise up to the challenge by using advocacy to the Niger Delta challenge.”

    In his contributions, the Vice-President, NDYP, Paul Uwadia, said the motive of the group was to ensure empowerment for all the people in the region.

    “All our government of the elite has done is to develop from up to bottom,  but  we , members of the NDYP, want to start it from bottom-up approach”, he said.

    Also speaking, Women Leader of the group, Easter Fafaa, said:  “We want to empower the Niger Delta youths for them to get better, to get something doing, not to carry guns.

    “Niger Delta  Youth  Patriot is capable of meeting the obligation of empowering the youths for their future. But youths should be patient and key into the development agenda of the NDYP. They should be patient because we are preparing something good for them”.

     

  • WILLIGENIA FOUNDATION REWARDS YOUTHS

    IN a bid to give back to the society, Chinenye Nkallu, through his charity organisation, Wlligenia Charity Foundation rewarded some youths and students in Imo state.

    According to Nkallu, the platform was created to empower students through talents hunt, music, comedy, sports development and support for the elderly in Orodo, Amaku in Imo state.

    During the competition, the students were grouped into four and participants were chosen according to their gender and categories in secondary schools.

    “We have different kinds of competition to empower the youths in which over seven hundred children participate. We have the marathon race, comedy, dancing, singing, quiz, and marathon. The event is a children and youth affair. A girl among the athletes has been outstanding. In 2003, she came first at the junior category. Her name is Iwuh Amanam-Olaoma,” he stated.

    With or without winning anything, Nkallu says, all the participants go home with school bags, calculators, dictionaries, math sets, branded biros and pens, shoes and foot wears.

    “This is so because we want all the participants to go back and tell other Children around that we have been supporting their education through this platform and to have sense of responsibility. The Marathon race was grouped into two categories; senior boys and senior girls. Each group won N50, 000 naira each. The runners up went home with N25, 000.” Nkallu revealed.

  • 10,000 youths, others to get Ogun, CBN aid

    No fewer than 10,000 youths and other small-scale farmers are to benefit from the Ogun State/Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme aimed at creating employment for youths and boosting agricultural production and food security in the state.

    The state Coordinator and Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Tosin Ademuyiwa, disclosed this in Abeokuta at the flag-off of the programme to empower the youths and others in the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

    He explained that the programme was to give financial support to them to boost production of cassava, rice and maize, adding that attention would also be given to fisheries and poultry farming.

    Admonishing youths to key into the opportunities offered by the programme to earn a living, he said everything would be done to ensure that they benefited maximally from the programme.

    The coordinator, Ogun State Youth in Agric Business, Comrade Olugbenga Ige, thanked the state government and the CBN for the opportunity to be self-employed and help in diversifying the economy.

  • Igbo youths slam governors

    The World Igbo Youth Congress (WIYC) yesterday described the verbal war between Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as “disgraceful and a slap on the entire Igbo land”.

    The President of the WIYC, Pastor Chiubuzor Isiguzoro, told reporters in Enugu that the two governors were bad role models for Igbo youths.

    He said: “At no time had Ndigbo been so disgraced and slapped on the face than what we are seeing today.

    “It is even more painful considering the personalities involved in this mess. These are people who by virtue of their office should have exhibited “excellent” behaviours by virtue of their office as Chief Executive Officers of their respective States.

    “As youths, we also look forward to leaders who will give us a sense of direction; leaders who will mentor the youths; leaders who will sharpen the ýyouths for a better tomorrow.

    “But as it is today, we now have leaders who are taking the youths on a journey to nowhere, leaders who are displaying destructive examples.”

    While lamenting the level of disunity among Ndigbo, Isiguzoro said the long-abandoned South-East governors’ forum was a clear indication that all was not well.

    “We recall that while Chief Peter Obi ýheld sway as governor of Anambra State, we had a vibrant South-East Governors’ Forum, a force to reckon with in Nigeria and he held the position for 8 years, between 2006 and 2014. Incidentally, Obiano succeeded Obi as governor in the same Anambra State.

    “With Obi as chairman of the Forum, there were quarterly meetings of the Forum where the attendance included respected traditional rulers, serving ministers, Ohanaeze Ndigbo leaders and notable members of the Igbo Leaders of Thought and Clergy men.

    “Within the period, there was peace among the governors and the political leaders, and this made it possible to gallvanise support for former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and 2015 general elections.

    “May we also recall as within the same period, Obi coordinated his colleagues and they gave beffiting burial to the late Igbo leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chinua Achebe, Prof. Chike Obi and Chief C.C Onoh.

    “The same coordination gave birth to the successful marking of the 80th birthday ceremonies of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, and Chief Emeka Anyaoku, among others”.

    The WIYC regretted that “at this moment of our history, we have the two oldest serving governors in the zone (Okorocha and Obiano) dragging all of us to the mud.

    ”We demand apology from them or we will declare them persona non grata.”

    The group called on the Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Nnia Nwodo, Chief Emeka Anayoku, Chief Alex Ekwueme, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Ebitu Ukiwe, Anya O Anya, among others, to intervene in the matter.

  • Eket PDP youths prompt Emmanuel for second term

    Eket PDP youths prompt Emmanuel for second term

    Youths of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District (Eket) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday urged Governor Udom Emmanuel to seek re-election.

    They said his administration had impacted positively on the social-economic and political lives of the senatorial district.

    The youths held a rally in collaboration with Oro Nation Volunteer Group in Oron.

    They hailed Emmanuel for his prudent financial managerial style, prompt payment of workers’ salaries and maximum utilisation of funds to begin new and viable infrastructural projects across the state.

    Through PDP’s State Youth Leader, Mr. Enobong Harry, the youths expressed appreciation to Emmanuel for repairing streets and roads at Oron, Eket, Ikot Abasi, Onna, Mkpat Enin, Ibeno local government areas and for the Uyo-Oron road alignment, which would terminate at Ibaka.

    Harry said: “It is important to note that most of these streets and roads were impassable for about three decades, hence Mr. Emmanuel can rightly be described as the best governor to impact positively on the social-economic and political lives of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District’s residents.

    “We came here to announce to the youths and the people of Eket Senatorial District that we stand by PDP to ensure the pregnancy of Emmanuel is safely delivered and the youths won’t fail to ensure this come 2019.

    “It’s obvious to note that the actions and achievements recorded in the middle of recession is a worthy testimony to attest that Mr. Emmanuel is a great leader ordained by God for Akwa Ibom people for an eight-year term.”

    The youth leader condemned the defection of Senator Nelson Effiong from PDP to All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said the youths of the district were behind the governor.

    Harry said: “We view Senator Effiong’s defection from PDP to APC as a non-issue and as a storm in a tea cup. We, as a people, strongly condemn the act and dissociate ourselves as well as the youths and the people of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District from this mischievous action.”