In line with the United Nations’ general assembly declaration on the celebration of the World Youth Skills Day, the Nigerian government yesterday commemorated the day with a charge to the country’s youth to look inwards, identify their aspirations, dreams, talents and potential with a view to putting them into positive use for socio-economic development of the nation.
The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, gave the charge while delivering his keynote address at the occasion held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
He said the youth are the greatest assets any nation can have and thus legitimately regarded as the future leaders who are potentially the highest investment of a country’s socio-economic, political and technological development.
Ismaila said the number of youth who are unemployed or exposed to lower quality level work is of great concern to the government.
He said this year’s commemoration with the theme: Skilling Teachers, Trainers and Youth for a Transformative future, was apt as it was set to bring in the required synergy among all job and employment creators, with a view to increasing enthusiasm for skills acquisition and entrepreneurship among the youth aimed at taking them off the streets.
The permanent secretary assured of the ministry’s unreserved commitment to full implementation of the core mandate of youth development policies in line with the policy thrust of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration through its numerous skill acquisition programmes which he said, has been exhibited through various investment and intervention programmes and thus urged the youth to reciprocate by putting their talents into positive use.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department, (EDPD), Mr Olugbenga Momoh, assured of the youth’s readiness and commitment to equip themselves with relevant ICT skills in order to explore job and employment opportunities in the technological-driven economy of the world so as to become relevant in the work of the future.
