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As the world marks International Youth Day, a leading Civil Society Group, Connected Development is calling on the Federal Government to tackle the issue of unemployment among the youth.
The Chief Executive Officer of CODE, Hamzat Lawal also spoke on the need to address insecurity, and the harassments of youth by dubious persons posing as SARS or the Nigerian Police.
CODE in the same respect, charged the Nigerian Government on the urgency to protect Nigeria’s future by accelerating supports for young people.
“It is predicted that by 2030, half of Nigeria’s population will be under the age of 25, yet only a handful of Nigerian youths are worthy of appraisal. Despite that young person are the hope and future of the country, they continue to experience low productivity, loss of earning opportunities, and are confronted with challenges that frustrate their innovations and creativity.”
“During a recent interview, the CEO, acknowledged the recent approval by President Muhammadu Buhari of the sum of N75 billion Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), as a special window for Nigerian youths to access credit facilities and financing that will help to fund their ideas, innovations and also support their enterprise.”
He, however, noted that many Nigerian youths have been burnt by empty promises and have lost faith in the system.
“Young people are migrating from the country to seek an enabling environment for their dreams and aspirations. The current leadership must do better to protect the youth. While the NYIF is a welcome initiative, it is not enough to rebuild years of mistrust.”
CODE’s Communications Lead, Kevwe Oghide, added that the government at all levels must trust young people with greater responsibilities in governance, policy, and development as this can yield great societal benefits.
“We must celebrate the youth who are defying all odds to make a difference. Suppressing their voices and neglecting issues and challenges that young people face can lead to the pursuit of self-serving purposes, crime, and vices that are detrimental to the future of Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development must do more to ensure that the youth are protected.”
