Youths
By Igbaugba Ehigimetor
Benin, April 26, 2018 (NAN) Speakers at the inaugural Youth Summit tagged “Akugbe 2018” in Benin on Thursday urged youths to re-orientate and invest more in themselves in order to assume leadership roles in the nation’s development.
The speakers gave the advice while speaking on the topic “Investment in Education, Agriculture and Capacity Building as a Tool for Economic Development and Wealth Creation’’.
They attributed the near absence of youths at the centre of the nation’s development to their preoccupation with activities that do not add value to their lives.
According to the speakers, some youths are too much in a hurry for quick returns while others engage in things that will not be benefit them.
They advised that in addition to investing more in education, youths should engage in skill acquisition as well as get interested in agriculture.
On his part, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo said that the state government was channelling its investment toward making youths more relevant in agriculture and technology.
Obaseki, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Youths and Special Duties, Mr Micah Amalokhai, said that the state Technical College and College of Agriculture were being re-modelled to serve these purposes.
In a remark, a Senior Special Assistant to Obaseki, Mr Kevin Uwaibi, urged the youths to develop a more positive attitude toward agriculture.
“The response of our youths to agriculture is not encouraging. We are not buying into what is available to us.
“What is your response to utilise what is available to you to your own benefit? Youths need to re-organise themselves if they are to assume leadership roles,” he said.
Similarly, Prof Eddy Eragbe, Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Benin (UNIBEN), urged youths to strive to be creator of employment rather than job seekers.
“In Nigeria of today, you don’t wait for job but work towards creating one. That is the reality of the country today. This is what is obtainable in the developed world,” Eragbe said.
Similarly, Mr Joseph Gbale, the Coordinator of Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC), organisers of the conference, urged the youths to put aside ethnicity and religion and come together for the development of the society.
“We must realise that ethnicity and religion are artificial problems being propagated by the elite class in order for them to continuously retain themselves in power.
“Our not being able to take power from our leaders is because we have failed to realise the importance of unity and working together.”
Gbale, therefore, urged youths to shun the “get rich quick syndrome’’, stressing that there is dignity in labour. (NAN)
ESI/NKO/NKO
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Edited by Nkechi Okoronkwo