A non-governmental organisation under the auspices of Citizens Heath Education and Development Initiatives (CHEDI) in collaboration with World Bank Staff has empowered 60 youths from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa and Niger states through the distribution of start-up kits.
The executive director of CHEDI, Mrs Selina Enyioha during the distribution of sewing machines, hand and standing hair dryers, and barbing clippers to the 60 beneficiaries yesterday, said that they decided to empower the youths, due to the high rate of youths’ unemployment in the country.
Enyioha explained that according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2022 report, youth unemployment in Nigeria is about 53 percent.
“Nigeria having about 53 percent youths’ unemployment makes it the second worse youth unemployment in the World (FIJ NG). It is because of this evidence that CHEDI thought it wise to do a programme for the youths. The World Bank’s Staff FY 2023 program presented the opportunity.
“We applied, putting up youth empowerment as our primary target, in support of the SDGS 1 and 2, ‘No to poverty and No to hunger’. Our target is unemployed graduates who have retrained and acquired skills in the areas of tailoring, barbing, and hairdressing but cannot afford start-up kits.”
“These graduates have had their hopes heightened after acquiring education but unfortunately, their dreams in Nigeria have become a mirage. Therefore, seated in this hall today, are 60 youths from FCT, Nasarawa and Niger states, graduates from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education in various fields of learning, but without paid employment since their graduation, some many years ago,” she said.
The senior social development specialist – World Bank Staff representative, Zara Binta Goni, explained that the importance of youth empowerment cannot be overemphasized, because youths are the base of any nation.
“A country can never achieve the heights of success if its youths are lagging, so many youth empowerment programmes were launched over time because finally, people have realized that when the youths are empowered, it gives rise to a strengthened nation.
“A society will be secured enough when the youths are empowered because an empowered youth will never do any harm to the society in which they are living, youth empowerment creates a sense of responsibility,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Ms Abba Perpetua, expressed gratitude to CHEDI and World Bank Staff for the empowerment programme and appealed to other organisations to emulate the partners.
