Tinubu’s Youth Vision Will Turn Students’ Innovations into Wealth, Productivity – Adodo

The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has pledged to support students’ creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial potential, declaring that President Bola Tinubu’s youth development vision must translate into practical opportunities for young Nigerians to create wealth, generate employment and contribute to national productivity.

The commission disclosed that it had made budgetary provisions for entrepreneurship training and related interventions, assuring students across the North Central region of their inclusion in its development programmes.

The board member representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the NCDC Board, Comrade Solomon Adodo, gave the assurance while representing the commission’s managing director and chief executive officer, Dr Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, at the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone C Summit held in Kwara State.

According to a statement issued by the NCDC Board, the summit, which took place yesterday, attracted student representatives from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT.

Adodo said the Commission was determined to ensure that students’ creativity, talents and innovative ideas received the necessary support to translate into productive ventures.

He commended President Tinubu for establishing regional development commissions, describing the initiative as a strategic intervention to address developmental challenges, stimulate regional growth and ensure that government policies deliver tangible benefits at the grassroots.

According to him, the President’s youth development vision recognises the enormous potential of Nigerian students and the need to create an enabling environment for their creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial abilities to flourish.

He stressed that education remained a critical foundation for regional development, adding that the NCDC was committed to ensuring that students were actively involved in implementing the President’s development agenda.

In an essay titled “Good Intentions Are Not Enough,” Adodo maintained that good intentions must be backed by concrete actions and meaningful collaboration to achieve sustainable results.

He said the Commission was determined to strengthen its partnership with the student community to ensure that innovative ideas were nurtured and transformed into productive enterprises.

“It is time for us to reverse the old pattern and embrace a new order, to ensure that the innovations of students are not left to rot, but are given wings to fly and ascend from mere potential to productivity,” he said.

Adodo disclosed that sufficient funds had been provided in the Commission’s budget to support entrepreneurship training and other interventions aimed at improving the economic capacity of young people.

He further revealed that the Commission was making plans to establish entrepreneurial development centres across the six states of the North Central region and the FCT.

According to him, the proposed centres would provide students and other young people with opportunities to acquire relevant skills, develop innovative ideas and establish sustainable businesses.

He urged students to look beyond academic qualifications and embrace entrepreneurship, innovation and wealth creation, noting that Nigeria needed to build a productive economy in which young people were not only equipped to seek employment but also empowered to create jobs.

Adodo maintained that achieving President Tinubu’s aspiration for a productive Nigeria required deliberate investment in young people’s capabilities.

He said Nigeria must strengthen its capacity to produce goods and services for domestic consumption and export, stressing that students had an important role to play in driving the transformation.

The NCDC board member also assured students that the Commission would maintain an open-door policy and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure that their needs and aspirations were reflected in its development interventions.

Explaining that the Commission had representation from every state in the region, he said the structure provided an avenue for regular engagement, interaction and identification of development priorities.

“The gates and doors of the North Central Development Commission are open to you. Our duty is not to isolate ourselves from you, but to interact with you and ensure that all your needs are met,” he said.

Meanwhile, NANS Zone C has applauded the student-focused initiatives of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing them as encouraging steps towards youth empowerment, economic inclusion and the creation of sustainable opportunities for Nigerian students.

The association also announced plans to pursue a strategic partnership with the NCDC to establish a regional skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development programme for students across the North Central region.

Speaking on the proposed initiative, the Zone C Coordinator, Comrade Abiola Azeez Babatunde Adigun, emphasised the importance of investing in students’ skills and entrepreneurial capacities as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods and regional development.

He explained that the proposed programme would cover Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT.

The initiative is expected to focus on digital, vocational and technical skills, business development, mentorship and entrepreneurship training.

NANS Zone C said it would engage the Commission’s leadership to discuss the proposed collaboration, develop an implementation framework and identify areas of mutual interest in advancing student empowerment across the region.

The association expressed optimism that a strategic partnership with the NCDC, alongside sustained government interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda, would create opportunities for students to become skilled professionals, innovative entrepreneurs and active contributors to Nigeria’s economic development.