The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has urged youths to take advantage of the opportunities provided by modern technology to acquire entrepreneurial skills.
Dare said this in a statement issued by Mohammed Manga, the director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry in Abuja.
Manga said the minister said this when the Secretary-General, Pan-African Youth Union (PAYU), Ahmed Wiisichong paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
“Nigerian youths need to take advantage of the opportunities provided by modern technology to acquire entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance and employability, in order to take the continent to the expected height,’’ Dare said.
He restated the Federal Government’s commitment to youth development in the country.
According to him, Nigeria has a huge number of youths close to 90 million and as such, government will continue to invest in them.
He said the investment was with a view to empowering them to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the country.
Dare recalled that the African Development Bank (AfDB) had put the number of Nigerian or African youths going into the job market yearly at about 12 to 13 million.
He said that some of the youths become entrepreneurs, some survive by dint of hard work, and some get recruited to be terrorists, while others get recruited into cybercrimes, among others.
Dare said that the present administration saw investment in its youth as critical and stressed the need for constant engagements by governments of the sub regions with the youth.
According to him, such investment will give the youth a voice in governance as partners in the development of the continent.
The minister said that the massive youth population was not a problem but a great resource to every government.
He assured them that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would continue to create an enabling environment for its youth to explore their potential and compete favourably with their peers across the globe.
Dare called on relevant stakeholders and philanthropists to continue to invest in the youth to fast-track development of the continent.
Earlier, Wiisichong, said that they were in the country for a Youth Security Summit which brought together 250 delegates from different countries.
According to him, youth across the West African Sub-region are expected to take advantage of modern technology to enhance their skills and competencies to ensure inclusiveness in economic development and governance in their countries.
Wisiichong thanked the Nigerian government for their support that ensured the successful hosting of the Summit in the country.
NAN
