By Goodluck Ikiebe.
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has expressed willingness to partner with ActionAid Nigeria in the area of poverty reduction, promotion of peace and security amongst the majority of unemployed youths through various initiatives put together by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration.
The Minister gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja, when members of the ActionAid Nigeria led by its Country Director, Ene Obi, paid him a courtesy visit.
According to him, the present administration is committed to the upliftment of the lives of unemployed and productive youths roaming the streets.
“such initiatives like the Digital Skills, Entrepreneurship, Employability and Leadership (DEEL), Work Experience Programne (WEP), among others are packaged by government with the aim to reducing poverty amongst the youths, who are vulnerable to committing crimes and criminalities as a result of unemployment.”
In addition to providing policy direction in youth and sports development affairs in Nigeria, Dare said the Ministry would continue to work in collaboration with other government agencies, international development partners, civil society organisations, youth organisations and the private sector aimed at ensuring full implementation of policies and programmes of the federal government that will improve the lives of the Nigerian youths and make them contribute meaningfully to the economic growth and development of the country.
Mr Dare therefore called on ActionAid Nigeria, philanthropists and all relevant stakeholders to continue to join hands with the government in its bid to stem out poverty among the teeming youths so as to achieve lasting peace and security in the country.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alh Ismaila Abubakar, assured ActionAid Nigeria that the Ministry will continue to provide an enabling environment that will give room for positive collaboration with relevant government agencies and other stakeholders for youth and sports development in line with its mandate.
Also speaking, the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, stated that the aim of their visit was to seek amongst others, areas of collaboration with the Ministry particularly in the youth sector, for the promotion of peace, security and poverty reduction among them so as to bring about economic growth and development in Nigeria.
