Radio TNT 102.5 FM

Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has announced the Federal Government has created a unified platform for unemployed youths in the 36 States of the Federation.

The Minister dropped the hint while speaking after a three-day sensitisation workshop on the use of the Nigeria Online Youth Assembly (NOYA) platform at the National Youth Development Centre in Ode Omu, Osun State.

Represented by Mr. Segun Oke, the Director of Procurement in the Ministry, the Minister said the platform was created for youths to have access to timely information on job opportunities.

He explained the Federal Government took the step to empower Nigeria youth and disseminate timely information on career enhancing, trainings, job and employment placement opportunities via the unified platform.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development believes” the energy, skills and aspirations of young people are crucial assets that no country can afford to waste, and helping them realize their full potential by gaining access to employment is no doubt a prerequisite to poverty eradication and sustainable development. Rather than seeing youth as a burden to the society, the creation of a youth job template offers the government a distinctive opportunity to focus on employment and job creation for young persons in the country”.

Appraising the Ministry’s achievements so far, Oke reported the Minister as saying that: “My Ministry in the last few years in the area of job and employment creation has conducted different skills acquisition and empowerment programmes as a result of the need for investment in the youth in a deliberate and planned manner and as a sustainable pathway to lifting a huge number of Nigerian youth out of poverty to sustain them in productive and viable occupational engagement.

“Over the years, young persons have played vital roles in leading global movements that have changed the world despite the numerous challenges that they often face such as age and gender discrimination, lack of resources and unemployment.

“Having been sensitised on the various opportunities available on the NOYA platform, I urge all youth gathered here today and all Nigerian youth to take up the challenge for self-development that will support youth inclusion in Nation building.

“You have the potentials, the talents and energies and so take up opportunities for skills development and other opportunities that will give you a leverage in global economy”.

Oke however maintained NOYA was put in place by the Federal Government in line with the priority focus of President Muhammadu Buhari to create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth and lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.