As unemployment rate continues to rise in Nigeria despite government claims of job creation, youths have been charged to be focused, diligent, innovative, genuine and believe in what they do.
The advice was given at a two-day youth empowerment seminar 2023, with the theme: “The Power To Make Wealth”, which was organised by the Universal Reformed Christian Church NKST (URCC), Abuja, over the weekend.
One of the guest speakers at the seminar who is a serial entrepreneur, Dr Peter Adejoh also used the occasion to empower five of the participants with over N1million as seed capital through his foundation.
Speaking to newsmen after his presentation, Adejoh said, “Nigerian youths need to be focused. They need to be diligent and believe in what they do, and should be genuine and clean in their hearts. Once you have genuine purpose and genuine intention, God will definitely bless the work of your hands.
“For those that we have chosen today for empowerment, my office will reach out to them for them to come and do documentation. Like I said, it is a business seed, a seed money, so we will definitely want to know what they are going to do with the money.
“Our follow-up team will ensure that they utilsze the money, it is not the money for them to go and waste, rather it is the money for them to go and start a business, grow it and be able to employ others in the future. My advice to Nigerian youth is that, they should stay focus, believe in God, shun violence, shun criminality and the sky is just your starting point.”
He commended the organisers of the annual seminar, saying, “The programme keeps improving every year, and I am really impressed with what they do. This is my second time of coming here actually. That is because I value what they are doing here. I am quite impressed and I pray that God will continue to strengthen them to do more.
“Any opportunity I get through my Peter Adejoh Foundation, I always ensure that in whatever way I can we look for people to empower. We need to create wealth. What drives us is that we are passionate about wealth creation and to encourage our generation and the generation coming after us that there is dignity in labour, and also to encourage people to legitimately source for income to grow their businesses and to empower themselves and be able to empower others,” he said.
Adejoh who is also the chairman/CEO of Cammy & Rock Business Consulting Limited stated further that his foundation has been empowering the youths for a long time now.
According to him, “We have been doing this for some time now. It is natural, we are called to do this whenever I have the opportunity to give, I give. Whenever I have the opportunity to interact with young people I make sure that I impact their lives through giving. So, it is what I do naturally. Once I am led and I see that there are people who genuinely need empowerment, I do it,” he said.
Also speaking, Nwadavid Charles, chief executive officer of Chavid, and a guest speaker at the event highlighted some of the numerous challenges that cause youth unemployment in the country.
He said, “Access to founding is a major challenge. A lot of people want to do something for our youth but one thing is to be able to have the funds and secondary, it is integrity. We have a lot of people who come under the guise of wanting to be empowered, but when you give them the funds, they go out to do things they are not supposed to do.
“These are some of the many challenges you face doing the process of youth empowerment. I want to believe that everything starts and ends with the mind. You can give a youth finance and if he does not channel those resources well, you are going to lose it.”
On how to solve the problem, Charles opined that, “First thing first, get their minds set, once you have that right you can now provide them with the necessary resources to help propel them to the next level. That is what we intend to do here today. It is one thing to make that money, it is another thing to know exactly what to do with that money. In pursuit of wealth, most youths today are running after money not going to find out how to create money. Just like you have laws of gravity, you have laws of money.
“Success is not what you pursue it is what you attract by reason of who you have become. Get the mindset right and success will follow. We run a mentorship programme and also have means to provide these resources as seed capital for them to be able to start in their own little way. And we follow through, it is not just about mentoring them and giving them money and leaving them out there for the sharks to swallow, we have to guide them succeed in life.”
Some of the youths who spoke to newsmen expressed satisfaction with the empowerment seminar, saying they have learned enough that would make them do better as entrepreneurs.
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