Niger State Government has called on the youths in the state to participate in the actualisation of the State’s Green economy and food security initiative of Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago.
The call was made during the Minister of Youths Development’s engagement with the youths of the State, on the 18th May 2024, at Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre Minna.
The Governor, represented by his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, reiterated that the informal segment of youths in the state was more productive and impactful in terms of sustainable development initiatives, saying organisations such as road transport unions, voluntary uniforms organisations, and trade-crafts unions should be inculcated into the structure and operational internal Democratic activities of the Youth Council in Nigeria.
He noted that the state’s cultivation of about 4.5 million hectares of land is nonnegotiable and on course towards revitalising the agricultural potentials of Niger State as a Green Economy and Nigeria at large.
In an interactive session, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, challenged the State’s Youth to take the bull by the horns to support and cooperate with the state Governor’s agric revolution, describing the formal Youths segment as elite youths that need to incorporate the informal Youth segment into the scheme of participation and engagement to achieve results, by demonstrating his desire to promote youths job fair that will showcase potentials and opportunities.
Similarly, respondents during the Federal Minister’s Engagement were: representing the informal segment of youths, Comrade Mohammed A. Mohammed, said, “As part of the informal segment of youths, we have secured land for the cultivation of Maize and Sorghum and we hope the State Government will make tractors available as part of our participation in the Governor’s Green Economy“.
The Coordinator, Niger North Senatorial District’s Coalition challenged the minister, “As a matter of state’s importance to address the challenges of youths in accessing fertilizers, farms tools, and seedlings, “we urged the Minister to Intervene on behalf of youths“.
Also, the representative of persons with disabilities (albinos) in a separate remark pointed out that “the formal segment of youths have abandoned the informal sector of the youths, like the albinos, saying “we should also be carried along“.
Another respondent, Malam Kwatu, a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on youth mobilisation said, “We lauded and commended the efforts of the State Government under the Governor, for appointing youths into key positions of the State Government. This has demonstrated the responsibility of youth in governance”.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Youth and Sports, Yahaya Ibrahim Gulbin-Boka pointed out that the essence of the interaction is to conscientize the youths in the present administration’s New Niger Agenda.
The State Permanent Secretary of Youths and Sports Ministry, Malam Garba Ngaski, explained that the interaction has afforded the State Government the opportunity to explore and exploit the Minister’s takeaways, as part of solutions to pragmatic and concrete youth engagement for job fair.
Finally, the State Chairman of the National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN,) Ambassador Abdullahi Ishaq, applauded the Minister’s Engagement, saying the youths in the State had collaborated and synergies with the State’s Ministry of Youths in enhancing and improving the Youths skills and entrepreneurship capacity towards a start-up businesses.
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