The federal government has said that it will be convening a national youth conference to address varying challenges confronting young Nigerians.
President Bola Tinubu said this during his address to the country on national television early Tuesday morning to mark the 64th Independence anniversary of Nigeria.
He said that the conference, which will last for 30 days, will unite Nigerian youths nationwide.
To him the conference will “provoke meaningful dialogue and empower our young people to participate actively in nation-building”.
“By ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping the policies that impact their lives, we are creating a pathway for a brighter tomorrow,” the president said.
“The 30-day Confab will unite young people nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security, and social justice.
“The modalities of this Confab and selection of delegates will be designed in close consultation with our young people through their representatives. Through this confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at the heart of the conference’s deliberations.
“The government will thoroughly consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous, and united Nigeria.”
The president said in addition to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the three million technical talents programme of his administration, the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP) will be launched before the end of October.
Tinubu added that LEEP is geared towards the creation of 2.5 million jobs.
“Our government is implementing several other youth-centric programmes to give our young people an advantage in the rapidly changing world. We are implementing, amongst others, the 3 million Technical Talents programme (3MTT) of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone,” he said.
“We have also enthusiastically implemented the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides cheap loans to our students to pursue their tertiary educational dreams.
