International Youth Day: Traditional Head Calls On Govt To Create Job Opportunities, Prioritize Youth Welfare
Mojisola Lawal
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to observe this year’s International Youth Day on August 12, traditional head of Otumara community in the Lagos Mainland Local Government in Lagos State, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye has called on government at all levels to prioritize welfare of youths in the country.
Kalejaiye in a statement signed by him to commemorates this year’s International Youth Day stated that Nigerian youths are in a dilemma and are faced with uncertainties.
According to him, millions of youths are turned out of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country but only a fraction of the number are able to be gainfully employed while many of them embraced crimes, cultism and other forms of illegalities.
He said, “I congratulate the youth of the country on this year’s International Youth Day celebration. I pray that their essence and aspirations would be fulfilled in the name of the most high God. As the world celebrates, I want to call the attention of our leaders and indeed the three arms of government to the sorry state of our youths in the country. They are in dillema. They are faced with choices in the face of lack of opportunities. The law forbids them from going into crimes yet the environment is not conducive enough for them to thrive.
Every year, millions of our youth graduate from the universities, polytechnic and colleges but they roam the street without any job to do. As much as there is no excuse for embracing crime, I want the FG and State governments to create employment for our youths as this will deter them from going into crime and cultism. It is said that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. The government should get our youths busy by creating a platform that encourages growth and self development.
The youths are the fulcrum on which the future of any country lies. Our government should not waste the potentials of our youth. They should be engaged productively and rewarded accordingly.
They should be empowered to be self-reliant as the government cannot absorbed in government employment. For those of them that want to go into politics, they should be encouraged by making the nomination forms affordable and importantly, apportioning certain percentage of elective positions to the youths.”
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