Minister urges youth to embrace programmes
Sports and youth minister Solomon Dalung has urged youths to take advantage of the many government’s empowerment initiatives to improve their lives and be self-reliant.
He explained that many of the programmes were sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industries (BOI).
The minister made the appeal when the when the gender wing of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) paid him a courtesy visit.
Dalung said the ministry was saddle with the responsibilities of youth and sport development in the country and his leadership was committed to assisting the youths to achieve their dreams.
He charged the youth to embark on self- reconstruction by defining whatever they aspired to be and work hard toward realising their dreams.
He advises the women to stop complaining of marginalisation because being a woman was not an immunity to be lazy.
The minister challenged them to work hard and compete with their male counterpart in every areas of their endeavour.
He assured them of the ministry’s commitment in empowering and supporting women and children who are more vulnerable during crisis situation and are therefore more deserving of empowerment.
The President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr. Murtala Muhammed, lead the delegation.
He told the minister that the visit was made to introduce the executive officers of the gender wing of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
The president said they visited to seek the blessings of the ,minister, being the father to all Nigerian youths by virtue of his office.
He assured the minister of the council’s loyalty and support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The Council, he said, was looking forward to a robust working relationship with the ministry in enhancing and sustaining high living standard of over 70 million youths.
He said that as the apex body of all registered youth organisations in the country, it is obligatory for the council to mobilise the Nigerian youths to key into the present administration’s empowerment and developmental programmes .
The Director, Gender of the youth council, Ms Halimah Nuradeen, congratulated the minister on the victorious outing of the Super Falcons in the last African Female Football championship.
Nuradeen solicited the support of the ministry in some of the programmes embarked by the gender wing of the council, including skills acquisition and empowerment, sensitization to youths on HIV/AIDS, visiting and lending support to women, youths and children in the IDP camps.
