Enugu—The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Princess Ada Ogbu, has called for proper utilization of the youth population to fast track development of the country.
Princess Ogbu made the call in a statement made available to newsmen recently by her media aide, Kenneth Eze, to mark the 2022 International Youth Day.
The statement observed that youth population was of great advantage that Nigeria could tap into to advance her growth and development.
The statement expressed optimism that the youth would bring positive transformation in the country if given opportunities to do so.
“Nigeria is a country blessed with a large percentage of its population as youths who are young, energetic, innovative, and industrious. Nearly 70 percent of Nigeria’s population are youths and children.
“This tremendous number of youths can bring positive changes to the society, if given the right opportunities,” it stated.
The statement, however, identified unemployment as a major challenge affecting youth advancement in the country, notwithstanding that a lot of them possessed various levels of academic qualifications.
It described the growing rate of youth unemployment as disturbing and must be addressed.
“But, the youth in Nigeria is faced with a myriad of challenges, ranging from unemployment, underemployment, stress management, poverty, and other uncertainties.
“The Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics in 2016 placed the unemployment rate at 65%, this means that unemployment and lack of employment opportunities have ranked top of the list of challenges facing young people today, especially in Nigeria.
“Thousands of youths with qualifications ranging from ONDs to MSc, and even Ph.Ds have had to endure years of joblessness, including professionals, and specialties,” the statement noted.
According to the statement, what Nigeria and the African continent need is enunciation of right polices that will equip youths with needed skills for greater service delivery.
“In the midst of these, the Nigerian youth have pushed against the tides, excelling in their chosen areas of endeavour.
“The way forward for youth development in Nigeria in particular and in Africa is for sound policies to be put in place and backed up by political will, equipping youth for greater service to Nigeria, and for global competitiveness.
Princess Ogbu, from the Nara Unataeze royal family, in her statement, encouraged youths not to look down on their abilities, urging them not to relent in pressing for their rights for a brighter future.
The APC senatorial candidate believes that the problems facing the youth are not insolvable.
In her words “we all have to put our hands on deck as we work hard toward finding lasting solutions, especially for the sake of the African and Nigerian youth. It’s a day for reflection and for taking action.
“African youth can exercise more faith in himself and hope for a better tomorow because they are better productive agents of society.
“The youth in Nigeria can as already seen, demand and press more for self- inclusion in the developmental and legislative processes of Nigeria,” the statement added.
Princess Ogbu assured creation of sustainable opportunities and empowerment programmes for young Nigerians to enable them play their role in the governance of the country.
International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12.
The United Nations (UN) instituted International Youth Day to aid in drawing awareness to the ever-burning issues pertaining to youths the world over.
