…FG to boost youth employment through NOYA
By Mohammed Mohammed
Nigeria has joined the global football nations as it receives the UEFA champions League trophy.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare who received the trophy presented to him by Heineken, in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, expressed his excitement over the choice of Nigeria for the touring of the Trophy, describing it as the second most important Trophy in football after the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Dare stated that Nigeria is a football loving nation, that has had a strong attachment to the Champions league over the years.
He stated further that “The tour Ambassador, Clarence Seedorf, is one of the most successful players in UEFA Champions League history, as he is the first and currently the only player to have won the UEFA Champions League Trophy with three clubs.”
The Minister who called on Nigerian youth to get themselves involved in sporting activities, assured that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is ever committed to the development of sports in the country, adding that Austin Ja- Jay Okocha, Finidi George, Kanu Nwankwo and Daniel Amokachi represent the golden generation of Nigeria in football till today.
He expressed optimism that Samuel Chukwueze who is the only Nigerian youth left playing in the Champions League today, will hopefully be the next Nigerian after Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu and John Mikel Obi to put his hands on the trophy.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and the Corporate Affairs Manager of Nigerian Breweries, Shade Morgan, while officially presenting the trophy to the Minister, said that the presentation of the trophy was among other things, aimed at boosting the morale of Nigerian Youth towards sporting activities to make themselves self-employed and self-reliant so as to contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria economy.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has set up an online youth initiative known as the Nigeria Youth Online Assembly (NOYA), to empower the youth through timely dissemination of Information on career enhancing, trainings, job and employment placement opportunities via a unified platform so as to boost youth employment in the country.
The Minister in charge of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, while declaring closed a 3-day sensitisation workshop organised by his Ministry on the use of NOYA, held at the National Youth Centre, Odo-emu in Osun State recently, stated that the initiative is in line with the present Administration’s avowed determination to lifting of
100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
Represented by the Director, Procurement Department of the Ministry, Mr. Segun Oke, the Minister affirmed that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development recognises the fact that the energy, skills and aspirations of young people are crucial assets which no country can afford to waste.
He added that, helping the youth to realize their full potentials by gaining access to employment is no doubt a prerequisite to poverty and sustainable development of Nigeria.
Dare stated further that, rather than seeing youth as a burden to the society, the creation of a youth template offers the government a distinctive opportunity to focus on employment and job creation for young persons in the country.
According to him, the Ministry has in the last few years, conducted different skills acquisition and empowerment programmes as a result of the need to lift a huge number of youth out of poverty to ensure their productive and viable occupational engagement.
The Minister explained that “it is on this note that the Ministry is creating awareness and innovative opportunities for Nigerian youth by advancing nimble values and principles, creating a safe space for networking, developing new skills, sharing ideas and flourishing together through leveraging on NOYA to crowd source youth employment in Nigeria”
While emphasising that young persons have over the years, played vital roles that changed the world, despite their peculiar challenges, the Minister added that the NOYA platform will re-invent the future of the youth through knowledge and creativity to escape poverty traps and the likes.
He therefore called on the youth in the country to take up the challenge for self-development as it will not only support their inclusion in nation building but also give them a leverage in global economy.
Also speaking at the Jos Zone of the programme held for youth from the Northern Region, the Minister who was represented by the Director, Network and Social Mobilization of the Ministry, Hajia Amina Dauren stated that the priority focus of Mr. President, formed the background that created the NOYA, DEEL as well as other activities, programmes and youth initiatives of the Ministry.
He added that the initiative is aimed at bringing out the skills and potentials of the youth in the country with a view to creating a sustainable pathway for ending poverty and ensuring their productive and viable occupational engagement.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department of the Ministry, (EDP), Mr. Momoh Olugbenga, stated that youth are predominantly the users of the internet for social interaction hence the need to harness their creativeness for socio-economic development of the Nigeria.
He described the NOYA platform as a one stop shop that would provide opportunities, peer networking and socialization for our teeming youth thereby making them self-reliant, self-employed, so as to boost socio-economic development of the country.
