A former chief of army staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), has called on government at all levels to invest more in entrepreneurship to create sources of livelihood and eradicate poverty and insurgency among Nigerian youth.
Buratai stated this yesterday when he delivered the 18th Distinguished Public Lecture Series of the Federal University, Lokoja at the Felele Campus in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Speaking on the topic “Youth, Governance and Countering Violent Extremism: Rethinking Nigeria’s Security Strategy”, the former army chief and the current Nigeria’s Ambassador to Republic of Benin, stated that 75 per cent of the terrorists and bandits are youth, noting that the high poverty level among the youth of this country made them susceptible for terrorist recruitment.
“If we do not reach out to our young people, we leave them to be recruited by criminal gangs or extremist organisations or foreign powers.
“But once we empower them, they will not only be defenders of Nigeria and safeguards of her peace—they will be the ones to set its future. Every institution will have to be redesigned with the next generation in mind.
“This is not the philosophy of idealism. It is peasant pragmatism. Youth-centred approaches have been proven both successful and imperative to building post-conflict stability and. resilience in countries such as Tunisia, Kenya, Colombia, and. Rwanda. Nigeria needs to learn, adjust and take the lead,” he said.
He noted that the youths have continued to be a very important stakeholder in dictating the social, political and economic future of any given nation, noting that the participation of young people in Nigeria is not an option because most of the population of this country is composed of young individuals.
“Nigerian youths can be the main contributors to national development in various sectors when empowered properly. In this segment, four interconnected spheres are considered, namely, the economy, innovation and technology, political activism, and community development, in which they contributed.”
According to him, the emergence of Nigerian technologies that have received foreign investments proves the importance of youth innovation, adding that young people are increasingly using social media, mobile apps and online platforms to address local issues, whether it is education applications that are finding ways of filling gaps in classrooms, or mobile health that is increasing access to care.
“Such government and externally funded programs as the National Digital Economy Policy in Government and Tony Elumelu Foundation, and Youth Entrepreneurship Program by the Bank of Industry are just starting to tap into this innovative spirit, but more organised support is required.
Political Activism and Civic Engagement.
“Youth in Nigeria have emerged as some of the major participants in political advocacy and democratic reform. The Not Too Young To Run movement, which helped to lower the constitutional age limit to hold political offices, is a milestone of youth advocacy to be permitted to participate in the government.
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