The Nation Newspaper

Tag: youths

  • Envoy urges youths to embrace entrepreneurship

    Envoy urges youths to embrace entrepreneurship

    The Acting Consul General of the United States Consulate General Office, Lagos, Deheab Ghebreab, has stressed the need for Nigerian youths to acquire entrepreneurial skills in order to help revive the nation’s economy.

    She said this while receiving the first set of Young Business Leaders of Nigeria (YBLN) at the consulate multipurpose hall last Friday.

    The group, established by Temitayo Etomi, an alumnus of the United States Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, has engaged 20 randomly selected Nigerians in a six-week comprehensive leadership and entrepreneurship training programme.

    Ghebreab, who reiterated the U.S. commitment to partnering with Nigeria to eliminate poverty, advised the participants to apply for U.S. fellowships and scholarships open to Africans for more knowledge to grow their businesses and impact others and reduce unemployment in the nation.

    She said: “The expectation is to look at what one person can do and believe you can do it too. Then pledge right here and now to influence in a positive way, at least 10 other young people.”

    Lauding Temitayo’s initiative to give back to her community what she gained in the U.S., she said: “She has really demonstrated what the Fellowship means, which is giving back and helping other young people. It is all about mentorship, networking and working hard to achieve your desired goal in life. Congratulations Temitayo, we are proud of you.”

    Speaking, Temitayo said she quit her job with the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) upon returning to Nigeria to practice what she learnt about marketing consulting business.

    The 33-year old entrepreneur, who currently employs and trains more than 100 Nigerians, advised youths to look out for opportunities and believe in themselves and their country to go far in life.

    “This budding entrepreneurship programme focuses on creating employment for people across the country. So we have invested so much in these 20 people who are in their fourth week in this first series; and the only thing we want from them is to employ a minimum of five people by December 2016. We want to go one person at a time to reduce unemployment crisis in our country.

    “Youths, believe in Nigeria. There are still good people doing good things. We need to shift away from being entitled and join in creating solutions. It is tough being an average unemployed Nigerian, but you have to understand that taking yourself out of that situation is your own responsibility not the government’s or society’s. So, you must keep faith within yourself and believe you can transform your country and that is the way change would come to Nigeria.”

  • Senate reject N5,000 payment to unemployed youths

    Senate reject N5,000 payment to unemployed youths


    The Senate has rejected a motion for the payment of N5, 000 monthly allowances to unemployed youths in the country.

     

     

    The motion, which was sponsored by one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers representing the Federal Capital Territory, Philip Aduda, was greeted with shouts of “no, no” when he tried to explain it.

     

     

    Similarly, the attempt by the Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, to second the motion was disrupted by the rowdiness.

     

     

    Intervening, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, posed the question but the senators responded along party lines.

     

     

    While PDP members yelled a ‘yes’ in favour of the motion, All Progressives Congress (APC) senators, who were in majority, rejected it.

  • NGO founder grooms Kogi youths

    NGO founder grooms Kogi youths

    Founder of an entrepreneurship and leadership non-governmental organisation, Inspire the Future, Chiedozie Igweonu has been training Kogi State youths in skills and leadership.

    Spurred by a passion to make an impact on the society, Dozie, as he is better known, started his pet project aged 27, while undergoing the compulsory national youth service in 2013. Today, the Inspire the Future Project is gradually growing into a full-fledged NGO which he believes in a few years’ time will be Africa’s premier social entrepreneurship project.

    Born in Maiduguri, Borno State, Dozie had his primary and secondary school education in Abuja, where his parents who are both from Anambra State lived and his first degree in Human Anatomy at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    He described himself as an avid reader who is fairly active on the social media.

    “I love working with young people,” he enthused.

    According to him: “I enjoy working with young people especially if it will have a positive impact on society. In the last ten years I have served in the teams responsible for projects like “The Undergraduate Business Conference”, “The Catalyst Youth Development Platform”, “Vote

    or Shut-up Electoral Education Initiative and Youth Advance and Development”, in some states which has impacted more than 15, 000 youth in the last two years.

    “I have always wanted to be a positive drive to change the African narration and honestly I believe that we as a nation cannot go far with the current structure of our educational sector. Then, I saw the UNICEF report where they alluded that there are more than 10 million out of school kids in Nigeria alone. I was angry at the failure of the system that was responsible for this ill but I needed to channel my anger to a more positive venture hence “Inspire the Future” was born.

    Prior to this I had written down the goals, mission and vision on how to intervene in the quagmire facing the education sector in Nigeria but the analysis of that report was the fire I needed to act immediately”.

    Speaking on what the project is about, he said it started as a tour of primary and secondary schools and was aimed at promoting academic excellence using the models in a popular book titled: “17 secrets of high flying students”, written by Fela Durotoye.

    He continued, “In our first year, we succeeded in visiting 10 schools situated in Kogi State and we impacted an average of 1,000 per pupils. By the second year we expanded by providing a platform for these pupils to connect to exemplary people who served as mentors to them.

    We also provided after school mentorship training for a select few. In our third year we had reached more than 20,000 young people. As our impact increased over the years, we did some major restructuring and reassessed some of our short and long term goals which includes

    getting at least 500 underprivileged kids, especially in educationally less developed states in the North back to school. We are also overhauling our model to a more sustainable social entrepreneurship structure, meaning that in the nearest future we will be less dependent on donations but we would have the capacity to generate the necessary resources required to carry out our programs”.

    He listed the biggest challenge confronting the initiative as knowledge gap.

     

  • 10,000 Akwa Ibom youths ‘ll get agric jobs

    The Akwa Ibom State government has said it will create jobs for 10,000 youths in the agricultural sector to sustain the administration’s plan for an agricultural revolution.

    Governor Udom Emmanuel spoke at the weekend in Uyo, the state capital, during an interaction with leaders of major socio-cultural organisations.

    He said his administration was committed to laying a solid economic foundation for the future through industrialisation.

    Emmanuel said for the agricultural revolution’s take-off, 10 modernised cassava processing plants would be established across the state.

    The governor noted that the state was blessed with arable land that makes cultivation easy for all seasons.

    He expressed commitment to exploiting the agricultural potential in the state by ensuring that the vast arable land across the state was cultivated.

    Emmanuel said the job creation plan would make it easier for youths, who were sent to Israel for training on mechanised farming, to maximise their skills in agriculture.

    The governor noted that the move was meant to ensure that indigenes could earn a living rather than beg for it.

    “He said: “If we don’t plant today, there may not be harvest tomorrow to sustain the people as overdependence on oil does not do the economy any good.”

  • Youths undergo entrepreneurial training in Bayelsa

    Youths undergo entrepreneurial training in Bayelsa

    Youths in Bayelsa State are counting their blessings following the intervention of the Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project to address joblessness and youth restiveness in the state.

    SEEFOR, an initiative of the World Bank, European Union (EU), Federal Government of Nigeria and the Bayelsa State Government, is designed among other things, to create employment by training youths on entrepreneurial skills.

    Recently, no fewer than 1,226 youths drawn from different parts of the state participated in a two-day entrepreneurship and money management training for public works beneficiaries organised by SEEFOR to round off the programme which lasted one year.

    Within the period, the beneficiaries were trained in other areas such as technical and vocational skills acquisition and community-driven development services in the last one year.

    They were paid a monthly allowance of N20, 000 each and N5, 000 as compulsory savings during the period. The programme was brought to an end recently at an elaborate ceremony which took place in Ijaw House, Yenagoa.

    Dignitaries, including political office holders, attended the ceremony.

    Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd) noted that money management and acquisition of entrepreneurial skills were very important in life.

    “No matter the amount of money you have, without proper management, you cannot go anywhere,” he said.  Jonah described the SEEFOR Project as one of the priority projects of the state government for youth employment.

    He announced that 2,000 youths would be accommodated in the next phase of the training, stressing that the government places premium on youth development and empowerment.

    “We believe so much in the youth of Bayelsa State and their capacity to make money.

    “One of the agencies that we use to empower and develop youths is the Ministry of Youth Development. We are also interested in vocational skills and craftsmanship,” he said.

    He directed that the N60, 000 accumulated monthly savings from N5, 000 by each beneficiary for the one year be released to them as they had completed their training. He advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the training they had received to improve their socio-economic condition.

    Emphasising the importance of the theme of the two-day training, “Mentorship on Money Management”, the Deputy Governor said the capacity to manage money is an important element of any successful business.

    Addressing the beneficiaries, he said: “No matter the amount of money you have, if you can’t manage it you will lose it. And that is why the organisers thought it wise to actually put you through this process, so that you will be aware that there are established ways of managing money and if you accept one or two ways of managing money which they have taught you your goals of today and the future will be achieved.

    He said the Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has passion for youth development.

    “The Governor believes so much on the youth of Bayelsa State and he has been working assiduously for the development of the youth. The process is to develop the capacity of our youths to enable them to compete with their peers in other areas.

    “It also includes vocational skills, craftsmanship that is needed to drive the manpower of the state.  Now the whole process of development involves collaboration among various agencies, including the World Bank, the Federal Government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The state will take the lead and that is what has led us to this point. The state will continue to lead in this aspect, to engage more youths,” he said.

    He said the government was planning to increase the number of beneficiaries at the next batch of the training programme to 2,000, adding that the administration has a window to accommodate 6,000 people.

    He added: “The process to begin the programme for the next batch would start with immediate effect. Let me remind you that without security, there will be no development anywhere. Against all cost, we will secure the state. You should not do anything that will jeopardize the existing peace which will subsequently bring down the process of development.

    “We need to create an enabling environment as we develop our skills so that anytime we face tough time, you can also contribute your manpower to construction activities or technical work or agricultural workforce because together we shall contribute and build Bayelsa State of our dream.”

    The state co-ordinator of the SEEFOR Project, Ayens Adogu explained that the training aimed at creating employment opportunities for youths to provide socio-economic services. Adogu said the project was targeting 7,000 youths in the state for economic empowerment and development.

    He revealed that the beneficiaries had been involved in services such as road rehabilitation and refuse management and disposal since the project began two years ago.

    Adogu commended the beneficiaries for the seriousness they attached to the training and advised them to utilise the gains for the betterment of their lives.

    He said: “This is a wonderful programme because the Bayelsa State Government is interested in the youth to make sure that development is sustained and one of those developments hinges on human, capital and material resources.

    “The programme is basically owned by World Bank in collaboration with the state government. The objective of this programme is to empower the youth and make sure that youths engage themselves and make sure that roads have been rehabilitated.”

    In their various experiences, four of the beneficiaries, Ebikise Zikena, Rita Thursday, School Micah and Akene Oyinkikpaikene, thanked the government for empowering them through the SEEFOR Project. They also appealed to the government to sustain the programme as it would bring succour to many youths in the state.

    Thursday said: “I graduated with a degree in Public Administration since 2005 and since then I have not been able to secure a good job. But thank God for the SEEFOR programme. I don’t seek for help again from my relations since I started this programme.

    Also, in his testimony, Kenneth said: “I have not earned a salary before but SEEFOR made it possible that today I am a salary earner. Thanks to the state government for the absorption of the youth into employment. I pray that the government would continue with this programme.”

  • Ex-Kogi governor’s wife trains youths

    Wife of former Kogi State governor, Aisha Audu-Emeje has launched a  free IT training programme for youths.

    No fewer than 1000 will be trained by her A3 Foundation which is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

    Aisha Audu-Emeje who is the CEO/founder of the organisation, said the free ICT programme was designed to create sustainable employment for high potential but disadvantaged youths in Nigeria.

    She disclosed that the global youth unemployment rate was 13% in Year 2014 and that the pandemic of unemployment does not affect Nigeria alone.

    Her words: “For me I am giving back to the society and at the same time we will give the trainees capital to get to the next stage in life. You can see clearly that we are one of the first private organisations to go after the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari to create jobs for the youths. We have stepped out by doing 1000 and because we believe in Buhari and we know he is willing to succeed in all aspect of his administration.

    “According to a United Nations report released in January this year, an extra 10 million people worldwide are likely to be unemployed by 2019,the report mentioned that slower growth, widening inequalities and economic turbulence as reasons behind the trend.”

    The renowned politician and youth empowerment crusader said with all these daunting statistics, it was imperative for all stakeholders to put all hands on deck to tackle this problem head on adding that:” this is definitely not the time for complacency.”

    The former first lady who described unemployment as situation where someone of working age is not able to get a job but would like to be in full time employment stated that “many youth in Nigeria fall into this category with their intimidating credentials from notable schools”.

    She stated challenges such as finance, absence of good administration and inconsistent policies as factors suppressing the efforts of the Nigerian Government in reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

    “The A3 foundation has taken all these factors into consideration and has sought newer ways to address the rising unemployment rate”

    “And that is why we have embarked on the training of 1000 Youth in Nigeria in the field of ICT with support from Rockefeller foundation to further assist high potential but disadvantaged youth in taking their rightful place in society by securing decent jobs”

    “the training of these youths would not only enable youth take their rightful place but would create an environment where the youth can in turn make meaningful impact in the society at large”

    “it is our believe at the A3 Foundation that the training would go a long way to helping disadvantaged youth in the society by taking them off the streets and putting their individuals skills to good use” Ambassador Aisha added.

    She gave the assurance that based on the Foundation’s high level of commitment; the training would not be an ordinary training as the organization intends to follow up on all trainees to ensure that they are gainfully employed.

    The project manager, Ms Hadiza Emeje who said that the Registration portal was created for efficiency and transparency urged interested youth to log in to www.thea3foundation.org and apply for the training which starts from the 19th October, 2015.

    She also noted that the pilot scheme would kick off in FCT, Nasarawa State and Niger State.

     

  • Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    The youths of Akwa-Ibom State under the auspices of Akwa-Ibom Youth Council and Essu Nlap Oro Development Organisation (Supreme Council of Oron Youths) have urged the Federal Government to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, to a degree-awarding institution.

    The groups also urged President Muhummadu Buhari to boost the institution’s mandate to train more seafarers and secure the nation’s waterways, by supporting the present Rector, Dr. Joshua Enun Okpo to take the academy to a greater height.

    Speaking against converting the institution to a conventional degree-awarding institution, the groups said while a degree-awarding institution would develop technical manpower for the nation’s maritime sector, a university may cause the nation to lose its membership of the World Maritime Association.

    At a press conference held in Lagos, leaders of the groups, Mr. Gabriel Thompson and Ulap Chris Ebiefe-Ante, jointly recalled that the Academy, which was established in 1979, was solely to train middle level manpower and seafarers for the maritime sector.

    “In order to strengthen this mandate, the Oron people want the President to help and see to it that the institution is upgraded to a degree-awarding institution as it is obtainable in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) which is created solely for the training of men and officers for the military,” Thompson and Ebiefe-Ante said.

    Speaking on the reappointment of the Academy’s Rector, Dr Joshua Okpo, for a second term, the group stated that the action of the President clearly shows that he is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “We hail President Buhari for his boldness, courage and patriotism in re-appointing Okpo, who is a high performing public officer. It has demonstrated that President Buhari is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “Okpo’s re-appointment is meritorious and well deserved because, in the past four years, the Rector has done very well in rejuvenating the academy and positioning it for a degree-awarding institution. He has succeeded in bringing the international maritime community into the academy by facilitating MoUs that would be taking the cadets on sea time,” Thompson said.

    This implies that as soon as they finish their national diploma, they go on sea time in international vessel. This is how we would build the maritime sector,” they stated.

    The groups added that the Cabotage Law was moved in Nigeria by the National Assembly because of the maritime school in Nigeria that would be producing manpower that would allow vessels to be run by Nigerians.

    “Today our vessels are being run by foreigners. This is not good for our economy; therefore there was a need for Cabotage Law. The thrust of this Cabotage Law was producing manpower for the sector.

    The academy is therefore vital to the improvement of the maritime sector, and the Rector is responding by working hard to ensure that the quality of the cadet meets world standard.

    “Due to the infrastructure renaissance under the leadership of the present Rector, he has acquired what is called 360 degree simulator.

    This equipment is to enable the cadet know how ships look like in the classroom which is the practical training of the vessel in the classroom.

    “When the President saw the success recorded under the present Rector, he re-appointed him for the second tenure,” the youths’ leaders told journalists.

    They, therefore, urged various groups petitioning against the Rector to desist from such act and allow him to focus on the duties that will benefit the academy and the nation as a whole.

    “We the youth in Oron community are monitoring the progress of the academy because it is the only landmark we have in that part of the Niger Delta. So, if things are not well run, the youth will rise against the leadership.

    “We are hoping that by the end of his second tenure, the academy would have attained an international standard with numerous infrastructural development and acquisition of simulators for both Deck and Engine Departments in line with Manila Amendments,” Ebiefe-Ante affirmed.

    He equally urged the Rector to continue with the good work and ensure that excellence and professionalism characterise his remaining tenure in the academy.

  • Why youths should be mentored, by VC

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, has urged the political class to introduce programmes that would enhance the integration and mentoring of youths. He said any nation that failed to equip its youths with good character would face a bleak future.

    The VC spoke at the opening ceremony of the second International Conference organised by Faculty of Social and Management Sciences with the theme: Democratic experience in Nigeria (1999-2015): Gains and losses, which held at the Nelson Mandela Hall.

    He said: “For us to sustain our democratic experience as a nation, we must put workable strategies in place to integrate and mentor our youths who constitute about three quarters of our voting population.”

    Ajibefun said the essence of the conference was to evaluate the gains and expectation of the nation’s democratic experiment to make provision for improvement. He charged the participants to make recommendations of the conference available to relevant institutions and policymakers.

    The VC said politicians must desist from inducing our youths to engage in electoral malpractices and using them as thugs during election.

    Ajibefun said the university had prepared its students for the future by encouraging responsible unionism, which, he said, has resulted in the peaceful and unbroken academic calendar in the last five years.

    The Dean, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Dr Sola Olorunfemi, said it was important to examine the success or failure of democracy, given the challenges facing the country. He said the conference would provide a robust platform for exchange of ideas to solve some of the problems.

    Speakers at the event included a columnist, Prof Niyi Akinnaso, and Dean, Faculty of Social Science of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, Prof Adedayo Olaleye.

     

  • Youths seek committed minister for FCT

    After expressing their disappointment over the absence of an indigenous ministerial nominee for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some youths have requested President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that a qualified and committed person is appointed to run the Territory.

    The youths under the auspices of Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation appealed to President Buhari to choose a truly committed, detribalised and focused Minister of the FCT who will implement the recommendations of various committees set up to address the grievances of the indigenous people.

    Their President, Isaac David said, “Appointments into political offices at national level are regulated by the 1999 Constitution section 14 and by the Federal Character Establishment Act of 1997. The Act requires that appointments into political and other offices should be given to candidates who are indigenous to the FCT and the States of Nigeria.”

    The FCT indigenes said they have for long expected a leader they can trust and who can make promises and keep them, a man who will build bridges of trust and mutual understanding across the country.

    Also the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba appealed to President Buhari to consider indigenes of Abuja when appointing his Ministers that will form his cabinet.

    Jiba who also is the President of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) made this known following the expectations of Nigerians that his cabinet would be formed in October, since he has submitted some names to the National Assembly.

    He said, “We believe that President Buhari is truly for everybody, because he has been tested and trusted as a former Head of States and presently the President of Nigeria. So, I believe that he has everybody in mind and he will carry all of us along, because we the indigenes of Abuja want to contribute our quota in his administration.

    “After Katsina and Daura, the next place he can call his home is Abuja and I believe that he has the original inhabitants of the FCT at heart and he will not allow the people to be marginalised in his administration, making sure that he considers the FCT indigenes his ministerial appointments.

    “Indigenes of the FCT see the emergence of President Buhari as a divine intervention from God to save the indigenes from the prolonged marginalisation. I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari will live up to the expectations of Nigerians and make everyone experience the good things that have eluded this country for a very long time.

    “Nigerians should continue to pray for this administration, so that God will make it to succeed and end the insurgency that is threatening the peace and unity of this country. Also, in doing that, we all should be vigilant and look out for any suspicious movement within our environments and report it to the appropriate security agencies,” he said.

     

  • Youths decry exclusion from ministerial list

    Youths decry exclusion from ministerial list

    The Ministerial list that has now been officially made public by the Nigerian senate has expectedly drawn reactions from several quarters. As a coalition of young people actively engaged in governance and democracy in the country, we are sad that we are again on a familiar road. This is the path again where we begin to advocate for proper youth representation in governance.

    We are shocked that the present ministerial nominee has no single representation of young people who were born in the 70’s or the 80’s. We did not expect that President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of 21 Ministers, which came after a long six months wait, not to have a single youth’s name on it especially when he was the Federal Commissioner – the equivalent of a minister today – for Petroleum and Natural Resources in 1976 at the age of 34. Curiously, the president seeks to retain the portfolio 39 years after.

    We hold no grudge against him for this decision as long as Nigeria is better for it. We assumed the long wait for the list was also in part due to the president’s search for capable hands. Our definition of youth is in tandem with that provided by the African Youth Charter, which was ratified by the African Union Heads of State and Government, which numerically classifies them as those between the age of 15 and 35.

    We are further taken aback by the presidency’s seeming dismissal to this demography especially given the roles several of them played towards the actualization of the President Muhammadu Buhari and his party’s political dream of getting into office through democratic means.

    The president body language and leadership in this regard does not mean well especially because state governments will quickly learn from this and also shut out young people from representative governance in the states. Beyond the ministerial list, we are also quick to note that there has not been anybody below the age of 35 that has been appointed to be part of the president’s team thus far.

    There are evidences that shows Nigeria parades some of the finest youth on the continent, who can hold their own any where in the world. We are forced to ask – is it that the country’s investment in young people is just a routine process and our country’s leadership does not believe in the capacity of this demography to lead?

    It took six months to release these list of 21. We understand that constitutionally, the president is obliged to mark up the figures to 36. We therefore hope this mistake will be corrected; and quickly. Women, despite being about half of the Nigerian population have also been poorly represented with just a meager 14% representation on the ministerial list.

    The median age of the current list is 56. The presidency can choose to correct this wrong by appointing young women into the Federal Executive Council, as this will serve dual purpose of women and youth representation. It is wrong for any government to make decisions for a group in their absence, especially when they are keen to participate.

    What the president is saying thus far with its appointment is that he has no confidence in today’s youth even when the same country gave him the opportunity to grow into leadership at an early age. Nigerian youth have earned the right to a space in the leadership of this country and we hope the presidency will listen and do the needful. When we are not given the opportunity to lead today, we are simply being denied of the experience needed to lead properly when that elusive future finally comes.