Nigeria Mulls National Youth Confab To Address Poverty, Unemployment, Others
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has announced the plan of his administration to convene a National Youth Conference to address the diverse challenges confronting the young Nigerians, who constitute more than 60 per cent of the nation’s population.
Tinubu announced this while addressing Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, on the occasion of the nation’s Independence Day celebration.
TheFact Daily reports that the recommendations of the National Conference convened by the former President Goodluck Jonathan on March 17, 2014, in Abuja have not been fully implemented up to today.
The conference that was headed by the retired Chief Justice, Idris Legbo Kutigi, had about 492 delegates that represented a cross-section of Nigerians, including the professional bodies.
The Conference deliberated on Devolution of Power, Political Restructuring and Forms of Government, National Security, Environment, Politics and Governance, Law, Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Reform. Social Welfare; Transportation; Agriculture; Society, Labour, and Sports; Public Service; Electoral Matters; Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matters; Land Tenure Matters; and National Boundary. Trade and Investment; Energy; Religion; Public Finance and Revenue Generation; Science, Technology, and Development Immigration.
However, President Tinubu said, the Youth Conference would provoke meaningful dialogue and empower the young people to participate actively in nation-building.
“By ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping the policies that impact their lives, we are creating a pathway for a brighter tomorrow,” he said.
Tinubu said, the 30-day Confab would unite young people nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security, and social justice.
According to him, the modalities of the confab and selection of delegates would be designed in close consultation with the young people through their representatives.
“Through this confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at the heart of the conference’s deliberations.
“The government will thoroughly consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous, and united Nigeria,” he assured.
President Tinubu said the government is implementing several other youth-centric programmes to give the young people an advantage in the rapidly changing world.
“We are implementing, amongst others, the 3 million Technical Talents programme (3MTT) of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone.
“We have also enthusiastically implemented the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides cheap loans to our students to pursue their tertiary educational dreams. In addition, later this month, we shall launch The Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP).
“It is conceived as a comprehensive suite of interventions at job creation by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment that is aimed at facilitating the creation of 2.5 million jobs, directly and indirectly, on an annual incremental basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the welfare and safety of workers across the country,” he said.
