The Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) urges Nigerian youths to be meaningfully engaged to be self-reliant rather than think of “running out’’ of the country.
According to it, Nigeria is our country and everyone has a responsibility to make it better.
Tolulope Osoba, Programme Manager and Social Worker with YEF, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the 2021 Edition of its Life Skills Training for youths.
The programme, facilitated by First City Monument Bank (FCMB), trains youths on skills acquisition including; shoemaking, baking, sewing, makeup, craft, among others.
Selected youths learn the skills pending when they get admission to higher institutions of learning or open their own businesses.
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Osoba said: “This training is about seeing life in a bigger picture and looking at the future; also we do not want all our youths to run out of Nigeria. This is our country; we cannot all run away from it.
“If the youths have skills and operate businesses here, even if they travel abroad for vacations, they will still come back because they know they have an investment.
“We need our youths here to continue to make our country thrive, to give younger people hope that great things can still happen in Nigeria and this Nigeria is still going to be greater,’’ she told NAN.
Explaining the motive for the training, Osoba said: “We are having a group of young men and women who are being trained and prepared to pick up various vocations.
“It has become apparent that for this new generation, they need to not just go to school alone but acquire a skill too. Acquiring a skill helps one to be productive,’’ she added.
Also, Mr Diran Olojo, Group Head, Corporate Communications, FCMB, urged youths to be resilient and resolute.
“The youths have to be resilient. It can be tough to break barriers in an environment like ours but with that authenticity, resilience, the doggedness, nothing is impossible.
“Things might be tough but there are still opportunities out there; it is still an economy that has a lot of depth and all we just need to do is to think outside the box.
“For the young people who are just starting their life, thinking about their careers whether they want to be self-employed or technocrats, there are some basic personality traits they need.
“This will make them have a solid personal brand; my advice to them is that they should not look at the glass as half empty but as half full.
“This is our country, how many people are going to take off?. If you are here, you might as well make the best use of it, look for the opportunities,’’ he said.
Olojo advised the youth to recognise opportunities when seen and make good use of them.
“Learn to recognise opportunities when you see them and do not look down on them; take advantage of them and ensure that you maintain your integrity authenticity.
“Know who you are, know your strengths and weaknesses,’’ Olojo advised.
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