The minister of youth and sports development, Mr Sunday Dare, has charged Nigerian youth to identify their potentials and talents with a view to putting them into positive use for socio-economic development of the country.
The minister gave the charge at the weekend during the commemoration of the 2022 World Youth Skills Day held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Dare, who was represented at the event by the director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Olugbenga Momoh, observed that millions of youth worldwide are unemployed, uneducated and unengaged with the majority living in developing countries.
This, he said, has led to boredom and frustration as they are locked out of decision making processes as well as economic and life opportunities.
“I want to challenge you to look inwards, identify your aspirations, dreams, talents and potentials and put them into positive use for the betterment of our nation,” Dare urged.
The minister in a press statement signed by director of press and public relations, Muhammed Manga, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has invested so much in youth development and empowerment, urging the youth to bring forth their skills for the benefit of the country and reciprocate government’s gesture by shunning all negative tendencies and vices that tend to threaten their lives and society at large.
He said that this year’s theme, “Transforming Youth Skills for the Future”, is designed to bring in the required synergy among all critical actors in job creation that will yield increased enthusiasm for skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development, among others in the country.
While acknowledging youth as one of the greatest assets of any nation, Dare called on all public spirited individuals, groups and existing partners to bring on board, multidisciplinary collaboration and team work in identifying and catering for the needs of the skilled ones.
On our part, he said, “we shall continue to initiate and implement youth employment programmes and activities that will take our youth off the streets. They are potentially the greatest investment for a country’s socio-economic, political and technological development.”
The Minister stated further that in response to the high rate of unemployment among the youth and in line with it’s core mandates, the Ministry in February – March, 2022 organised capacity building programme in Digital Skill acquisition, Sustainable Livelihood Skills Acquisition in various Agriculture and vocational skills for unemployed youth from thirty-six States of the Federation including the FCT.
He commended all stakeholders, Non-governmental Organizations, (NGOs), Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government as well as International Development Partners for their contribution towards the successful celebration of the day.
Speaking earlier, the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, noted that skills acquisition is very significant to the challenges of unemployment and underdevelopment.
