Day: May 17, 2024

The Ministry of Youth Development says that its 2024 ministerial retreat will focus on reduction in youth unemployment rates by promoting entrepreneurial mindset.

Dr Jamila Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development, said this in Abuja on Thursday during a two-day ministerial retreat on presidential deliverables.

Ibrahim said that the retreat marked a critical step in achieving the ministry’s goals by focusing on three key outcomes.

‘The first is reduction in youth unemployment rates by promoting entrepreneurial mindset, thereby, harnessing the vast innovative energy that’s the hallmark of the typical Nigerian youth.

‘Second is increase in youths with relevant and global in-demand skills, especially in emerging areas of environmentally sustainable sectors.

‘This holds the key to the economy of the future and in other priority sectors that will put our vast youths in the driving for the attainment of a national goal of a trillion-dollar economy.

‘The last key outcome is increase in youth participation in so
cial, political and economic development, including strategic participation in governance and leadership,’ she said.

According to the minister, the outcomes are the pillars upon which the ministry will build a stronger, more vibrant and resilient Nigeria.

She said that the Renewed Hope Agenda deliverables with the selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are its guiding lights.

‘They provide us with measurable goals that ensure we stay on course and make tangible progress.

‘Let us frequently remind ourselves of these KPIs, as they will be our benchmarks for success and accountability,’ Ibrahim stressed.

According to her, the youth constitute a significant proportion of our population, and represent immense potential and opportunity.

‘Yet, they face challenges that require our immediate and sustained attention such as unemployment, skill gaps and limited participation in socio-economic activities.

‘These challenges are not insurmountable with a strategic, well-coordinated approach, we can turn them in
to opportunities for growth and empowerment,’ Ibrahim said.

The Minister of State in the ministry, Mr Ayodele Olawande, noted that three things must be put in place, which are action, thinking outside the box and being committed to issues that concerned the youths.

Olawande said that they must think differently to make the ministry powerful as people believed.

‘The youths want to see and touch the government because it is the youth that will change themselves,’ he said.

In his welcome address, Mr Dunoma Ahmed, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said that the government had made significant commitments to improving the lives of the youth.

He noted that the government was set to achieve this through various policies, programmes and initiatives.

‘Our government has recognised the importance of the youth as a critical factor in our nation’s development.

‘And has, therefore, prioritised their welfare, development and empowerment, particularly in areas such as education, health, employment, entrepreneurshi
p, access to capital and innovation,’ Ahmed said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has called for effective partnership among key education stakeholders on the implementation of state costed plan for safe school in Nigeria.

Speaking at a media round table on ‘Safe School Declaration Accountability’ on Thursday in Lagos, Dr Abiola Akinyode-Afolabi, Founding Director WARDC, said there was the need for an increased public awareness on the policy.

According to her, the SSD policy was adopted by Nigeria in 2015, adding that it is a global initiative that started from Norway.

‘We, therefore, want to call on government, policy makers, media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to collaborate with us, in a bid to ensure that our expectations are met,’ she said.

According to her, there is currently a national policy on safety, security and violent free school, so we want this government to commit more fund.

‘There is the need for an active action, plan to make the schools secure.

‘We are looking at the possibility of government co
ming up with a legal framework that will define this appropriately, based on the experience we have had with the issue of security in schools.

‘Something that will define minimum standard upon which schools should operate in Nigeria, that will be able to enable safety and security.

‘We observed that some schools don’t have perimeter fencing.

‘We believe that the media too can play a role, support the process of demanding accountability from the government. The Nigeria constitution talks about the welfare and security of the people as its responsibility, including children.

‘Overtime we have seen what the issue of safety and security have turned out to be in Nigeria, going by the Chibok girls incident.

‘Recently, a community was attacked in Kaduna and about 200 students were taken away from that state,’ she added.

Dr Akinyode-Afolabi, noted that though the Kaduna students have been returned, it was clear that the ugly trend had reached a state of emergency for the government to do more, to ensure the saf
ety of students.

‘Note that incidences like this will make students not to want to go to school and parents will not encourage their wards too, even when they know the importance of education.

‘So, we invited the media, we can make a demand, believing that directly or indirectly, we are all connected to a child/children in school and it should be an issue that affects us,’ she added.

The WARDC founder said it was also necessary for the government to take further steps in resetting its goal on national financing plans and bring more security into schools.

According to her, normalcy can no longer work, especially in the past 10 years since the Chibok girls incident, adding that it is part of the reasons for advocating a political will on the side of government on the issue.

The programme was organised by WARDC in collaboration with the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), with an aim to enhance reportage of the impact of insecurity in education, SSD and advocacy for safe schools in Nigeria.

Source: New
s Agency of Nigeria