The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says most empowerment initiatives by the Federal Government are targeted towards reducing unemployment, poverty and restiveness among the Nigerian youth.
The Director of NOA in Oyo State, Mr Moshood Olaleye, stated this on Wednesday in his keynote address at the National Youth Summit, with the theme: “Youth Participation in National Development”, held in Ibadan.
He noted that the federal government had, since 2015, been implementing various social intervention programmes.
“Among these is N-Power, which gave a stop-gap empowerment of minimum of two years duration to more than one million youths in batches, covering teaching, health, agriculture and building.
“There are also skill acquisition and vocational trainings, with tools and working capital empowerment, and government enterprise empowerment programmes.
“Others are home-grown school feeding programme and anchor borrowers’ programme for medium and large scale farmers, among others.” he said.
Olaleye called on state governments to do more in implementing social welfare programmes to complement the federal government in promoting social, economic and political stability.
According to him, the consequences of restiveness, such as domestic violence, kidnapping, banditry and looting, frequently witnessed in the society, will be eliminated if state and local governments can also put in their best in term of social welfare programmes.
The NOA director enjoined youths not to perpetrate, condone, aid or abet criminality and other social vices, stressing that they should rather channel their talents and skills to legitimate and lawful businesses and activities.
“Youths should also be courteous, decent, dependable, responsible, ethical and morally-upright in both their public and private lives,” he said.
The Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni, urged NOA to rise up to its constitutional responsibility of orientating the society, especially youths, on the need to value their future.
“Many youths do not believe there is a future for them; that is why they do not fear death or things that can have negative impacts on their lives,” Owoseni said.
He called on the youth to prove their worthiness with impeccable characters, resourcefulness and innovative minds, so as to be successful in life.
Owoseni commended the agency for organising the surmmit, urging the youth to take advantage of the programme to have attitudinal change and contribute their own quota towards national development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the speakers at the event admitted that the youth constituted the greater percentage of Nigeria’s population, thus making them vital contributors to the nation’s development.
In their seperate contributions, Mrs Ibukun Otesile, of Second Chance Initiative and Adebobola Agbeja, Oyo State Chairperson of National Youth Council of Nigeria, implored youths to equip themselves with necessary skills and knowledge.
They also challenged them to keep bringing values to the socio-economic development of the country through technology and proper management. (NAN)