Junior Chamber International Wants More Youths In Governance

Junior Chamber International (JCI) has tasked the federal government on more opportunities for young people, especially their inclusion in policy formulation for sustainable development to stem youth restiveness.

The president of JCI, Abdullahi Atahiru, made the call at its 22nd edition of “Quality Leadership” with the theme, ‘Leading Successfully in VUCA World’ in Abuja.

Atahiru premised his submission on volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

He also underscored the role of both private and government sectors in providing an environment conducive to youth employment and entrepreneurship

“I believe the government also understands this particular challenge that is happening in the nation, and they are trying to address it through policies, through engagement, through bringing opportunities that would give youth a reason to want to stay and get engaged in the country,” he said

Atahiru said, “Most importantly by the organisation that we belong to (JCI), we would like to respond more to the youth,” which is the fact that we employ every youth to actually see opportunities in all of these challenges and strive hard to succeed in leadership positions.

He said the challenges can be very traumatising for all, but they need to see the positive side of some of these challenges and treat them.

He said some of these challenges hold opportunities for young persons and for instance, as JCI members they continue to see these challenges as the reason for their existence.

“The government is barely a year and there is also a fact that there will be a certain level of acclimatisation and understanding of what the process should be an individual like you and I would have probably the perspective of what should be done,” he said

On his part, director-general of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), Dr Nasir Olaitan Raji Mustapha, said the focus was on understanding and mitigating the disruptive effects of VUCA in the Nigerian business landscape.

He stated the urgent need to navigate the challenges posed by globalisation, digitalization, and trade liberalization.

He highlighted the critical role of both the private sector and government in combating Nigeria’s high youth unemployment rate, which stands at an alarming 2-3 per cent. Recognizing the limited scope of the national budget.