Humanitarian activist, social entrepreneur, and philanthropreneur, Kennedy Iyere, has been appointed to spearhead the Nigerian Youth Economic Engagement and De-Radicalisation Programme (NIYEEDEP).
This initiative, launched on October 30, 2024, at the National Assembly, aims to empower Nigerian youths through economic engagement and de-radicalisation.
Iyere’s new role justifies his withdrawal from the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial poll, where he was a candidate for the Accord Party.
As coordinator-general of NIYEEDEP, Iyere will oversee the programme’s mission to create 12 million youth farmers and food entrepreneurs within two years.
NIYEEDEP is a collaborative effort between the Senate Committee on Sports Development and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
The programme focuses on entrepreneurship, sports, and other economic empowerment opportunities to transform youths into change agents and catalysts for wealth creation, poverty alleviation, and economic development.
NIYEEDEP’s key objectives include providing youths with enabling economic platforms and opportunities, addressing negative effects of radicalisation and high youth crime, and fostering youth economic productivity for national security and development.
The Implementation Committee has Senator Ned Nwoko as Coordinating Chairman; Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande as Coordinating Minister; HRH (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar (Etsu Nupe) as Coordinating Traditional Ruler, and Comrade Kennedy Iyere as Coordinator-General.
The programme also featured a national football tournament, “Football Tournament of National Unity,” launched jointly by Senator Ned Nwoko and Minister Ayodele Olawande. This tournament aims to strengthen national unity among Nigerians through football.
Iyere said: “Our mandate is to utilise sports, entrepreneurship and other business and economic empowerment opportunities, as channels for equipping and transforming youths into change agents and catalysts for employment generation, wealth creation and poverty alleviation, geared towards achieving youth economic productivity and de-radicalisation for Nigeria’s political stability, national security and rapid economic recovery, growth and development.”
“We are hitting the ground running and there is no time to waste anymore. Now is the time to start creating jobs for our youths and wealth for families and our nation through agriculture. We have the farmlands and the strength of the youths, so we must make a fast move on this,” Iyere affirmed.
Iyere disclosed that he and the Minister of Youth Development, Olawande, were working on an action plan to actualise NIYEEDEP’s goals through the implementation of its programmes and core objectives.
“NIYEEDEP is a collaborative initiative between the Senate Committee on Sports Development and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development,” he added.
Olawande pledged his commitment to successfully drive the implementation of the initiative towards the actualisation of its goal and core objectives.
On his part, Senator Nwoko said, “Sports unite Nigerians, specially the youths, who actually are the major players. But beyond its role of unity, Sports is much more a tool for the economic empowerment and de-radicalisation of youths. Youths who engage in Sports are also able to engage in other economic and professional activities which will create jobs and sustainable incomes for themselves and their families.”
