The youths constitute critical elements in societal development.
Whatever the human and material resource endowments of any
geo-political entity, no serious Government can afford to
neglect or overlook the youths, who indeed are the foundation
for the future.
For a long period in the Nigerian experience, the youths [18-35
years age bracket] did not receive a fair deal in the
developmental scheme of things. From acts of omission and
commission, they suffered neglect, marginalization,
discrimination and even persecution.
This sorry state of our youths clearly poses threats to national
security, stability and sustainable development, which no
leadership worth its salt would treat with levity. In deference
to these realities, the Jonathan administration incorporated
that critical element into its programme of action.
The [Nigerian] National Policy on Youth conforms to the United
Nations’ guidelines and extends to Nigerian youths in the
Diaspora. It succinctly rates the youth among “the greatest
assets that any nation can have … They serve as a good
measure of the extent to which a country can reproduce as well
as sustain itself …”.
Under the present dispensation, quite a number of initiatives
and activities have come on-stream towards giving Nigerian
youths deserved places in the economy, polity and society.
The National Youth Employment Action Plan [NYEAP] is
anchored on diversification of the nation’s economic base
[particularly into agriculture and agro-business]; operation of
vocational/entrepreneurial/skills development centres for
tertiary level students and youth service members by the State
and FCT administrations; audit-evaluation/restructuring/
strengthening of such job creation agencies as the National
Directorate of Employment, National Poverty Eradication
Programme and Industrial Training Fund; and enhancing the
enabling environment for enterprise development.
Entrepreneurship Development Centres [EDCs] have been set
up in the six geo-political zones of the Federation to bridge
gaps in various elements of youth entrepreneurship
development. To date, over 200,000 youths have benefited
from the programme. The Federal Government is also setting up
Comprehensive Youth Centres in those zones to be operated
and managed under Public Private Partnership [PPP]
arrangements. Included in their schedules are demonstration
farms; standardized vocational training programmes; small
business bureaux for entrepreneurship training; referral and
counselling programmes for youth in conflict situations, those
afflicted with disease and the traumatized; and sporting &
leisure facilities. Such is the attractiveness of the youth centre
initiative that some of the State Governments are setting up
similar facilities to engage their youths constructively.
The Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme
[SURE-P] was inaugurated in the wake of the Federal
Government’s partial removal of oil subsidy in early 2012. Co-
ordinated by the Federal Ministry of Finance and managed by a
team of proven integrity, SURE-P is complementing other
development programmes of the three tiers of governance.
For Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises [MSMEs], a N200
billion Fund is operational to offer inexpensive, long-term
support for youth and women entrepreneurs; with foci on
credit, insurance, capacity building and interest draw-back.
The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria [You WIN]
programme of the present dispensation provides one-time
equity grants of N1 million–N10 million to each of 1,200
selected aspiring entrepreneurs to start/expand their business
concepts and cushion start-up risks. The facilities are further
expected to generate some 110,000 new jobs for unemployed
Nigerian youths over a three-year period. There is also
provision for training 6,000 aspiring youth entrepreneurs as
well as business expansion, specialization& spin-offs, and
exposure to professional networks.
The administration remains committed to the Niger-Delta
Amnesty/Post-Amnesty programmes. Aside from investments
in the training of affected youths in various institutes across
the world, over 5,000 others are enrolled in formal
educational institutions and vocational centres locally and
abroad.
The NYSC Venture Price competition [operated by the Central
Bank of Nigeria] promotes the entrepreneurship spirit and
expertise in national youth service members; to encourage them
pursue self-employment options. Their exposure includes
rudiments of investment/feasibility reports, business start-
ups and expansion.
Even as the youth development programmes and activities of
the Jonathan administration are yielding positive outcomes,
there are challenges ahead. The populations of the unemployed
and unengaged youths are teeming, what with accumulated
neglect over the decades and increasing number of products
from the nation’s educational institutions.
Youth development in Nigeria poses a collective responsibility.
Governments at all tiers, their institutions, the private sector,
civil society organizations, donor agencies and endowed
individuals are all stakeholders. Youths are not some strange
elements in our midst, but catalysts for meaningful &
sustainable development and an assured future.
By Peter Obi.
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