Youth empowerment can’t end unemployment – Minister

The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says youth empowerment can no longer resolve the unemployment crisis in Nigeria.

He said the present administration had made a paradigm shift “when it comes to youth development and that shift is at the continental and international level.” 

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He spoke yesterday while defending his ministry’s 2022 budget before the House of Representatives Committee on Youths Development.

The minister said: “We’ve moved from empowerment to investing in the youths because empowerment can no longer solve the problem of unemployment. 

“Empowerment is just like unemployment. We have youths that are skilled with great ideas and all our training is towards investing in the lives of our youths”.

Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Yemi Adaramodu, had said for Nigerian youths to be leaders, there must be a very deliberate action from the leadership of Nigeria especially the youths’ ministry.

“It’s like sowing a seed in the lives of Nigerian youths. When you sow a seed, you expect that seed to germinate and grow into a big tree whereby fruits can grow. 

“Over the years, the government of President Buhari has created a lot of activities and programmes to enhance the lives of Nigerian youths. These pass through the Ministry of Youths and Sports to get these things across to the beneficiaries. Secondly, this budget this year, what we want to see there are those things that can empower the youths.”