The Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jemila Ibrahim, has said that the Federal Government is coming up to promote entrepreneur among the youth with an initiative to establish a Youth Development Bank in the country.
Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara state on Friday with newsmen on the initiative of the state visit, the Minister said that the bank will give Nigerian youth and young entrepreneurs the economic prosperity in form of access to capital and opportunity to grow their businesses by the present administration.
Jemila who disclosed that the federal government was working on programmes aimed at galvanising development among youths in the country said that renewed hope and vision of Mr President promise lots of laudable initiative that the country had not seen in ages, added that the job of the ministry was to create enabling environment, opportunity for young people to prosper.
“We’re coming with a message and action of economic prosperity. We are tired of the past and that’s why we identify with Mr. President action plans as an uncommon liberator of young men and women. And this will be replicated in the Youth Development ministry.
“We have initiatives coming up like the National Youth Development Bank. This is an initiative, endorsed and supported by Mr. President that will increase access to capital and of course create access to market for young entrepreneurs,” she said.
The minister, who was inaugurated about two months ago, said the ministry has lofty initiatives, despite being a new ministry.
She said the ministry is determined to work to actualise renewed hope and vision of President Bola Tinubu administration for the Nigerian youth as well as action plan of the federal ministry of Youth Development.
“There’s institutional and governance structure that need to be in place to ensure we drive the renewed hope agenda to a very laudable outcome.
“It’s important we let Nigerian youth know action plan and vision of Mr. President and that of the ministry. It’s important we work as a ministry to support, drive and implement the vision to align with Mr President’s vision for the Nigerian youth,” she said.
Ibrahim appealed to youth in the state to support youth and gender inclusion programmes of Kwara State Government as exemplified by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, which she said were being emulated by other states in the country, “upon which I was given a platform and made visible”.
She also appealed to members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria to modify their slogan to remain, ‘Build the Youth, build the nation’ without the assumed threat in the complete version, while advising youth not to misuse the opportunity of having one of their own in government.
This is just as she enjoined the youth as well as the elderly to be patient with the governments for a well thought out plans for the youth, while she promised to engage the youth more in the planned programmes and actions.
The highlights of the minister’s visit to Kwara state was reception at the airport, courtesy visit to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, stakeholders meeting at the state ministry of Youth Development and presentation of blueprint on youth development by members of the youth council in the state.
Present at the events were representatives of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, the NYSC, state ministry officials, para military formations
