Ayodele Olalere
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat has assured Nigerian youth that in spite of challenges facing the country, there is hope for the youth.
He also urged them to take advantage of opportunities available to them to become self-reliant.
The deputy governor spoke at a National Youth Symposium with the theme ‘Nigeria: Guiding the youth on the path to self-reliance’ to celebrate his 60th birthday held in Lagos.
Hamzat said Nigerian youth should see beyond present national challenges and take advantage of the country’s numerous opportunities, noting that youths had continued to excel in science, medicine, and music among others at the world stage.
The deputy governor further said the advent of the Internet had presented global opportunities to youths to excel and urged them to learn how to manage their time and resources to become more successful.
“We must engage and encourage our youth. These are pivotal moments in Nigeria. Many have lost hope in reversing negative trends. It’s not right that our youths have no future. I am upbeat and optimistic about this country because of our youth.
Our music keeps the world dancing. Creativity in technology by our youths has soared very high. Your stars keep shining in the world of football. Nigerians are heading everywhere in the world. We must not allow negativity to define us, we must define ourselves. I salute the courage, resilience and tenacity of our young people.
He admitted that the country is facing socio-economic challenges and insecurity but despite the issues, he noted that foreigners were coming into the country to invest and make money.
“Our problems are surmountable and there are opportunities there. What is it that foreigners are seeing that we are not seeing? We must shine our eyes. We must look back at our history. Our youths are very dynamic” Hamzat said.
In his contribution, the former Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun,SAN, while speaking on the topic ‘Why are we here’ said despite the challenges in the country, there were many untapped resources for youths to be self-reliant.
“You are not looking at any individual, you are looking at your own resourcefulness and resilience to take you through. The youths must learn not to depend on the system around them but on their own resourcefulness and resilience,” he said.
He urged the youth to emulate the deputy governor by being exemplary in their dealings.
“The deputy governor is an exemplary leader embodied by education. Government should remove obstacles that prevent youths from accessing resources of the land. It should not be only for the children of the rich. Nigerian youths should have access to these resources.”
Fagbohun further urged the youths to make use of the knowledge garnered at the symposium to better their lives and the country.
“In a country as diverse as Nigeria and regions, Nigerian youth here should recognize that they are representing other youths. The knowledge you gain here, share it on various platforms, resonate it. Knowledge shared will improve you and deepen your knowledge,” he said.
Speaking during the symposium, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya said availability of land for agricultural purposes had been a challenge in the state and there were measures to ease access to land.
Ms Olusanya said the state was developing organised markets to ensure even farmers from other states would tap into the opportunities.
She said the state government has put in place various programmes and competitions to empower youths in the agriculture sector.
“We have done capacity building and provided entrepreneurial support for the youth in the agricultural sector. If you want success in the agricultural space, you must have youths that are capable and have the skills to scale up the food production . We need to push for those who have agricultural qualifications.”
She added: “We have continually train the youths especially those who did not have agricultural skills, supported and empowered them.
Going forward, a lot will change as we try to make lands available for youths to do agriculture. We are giving the youths opportunity to push their products in the market space without the middle men”
An IT expert, Dr Stanley Muoneke called on youths to learn various IT skills to explore opportunities to make them succeed.
He said knowledge was important but that there was a need for youths to have mentors and coaches to make them face the challenges that the sector might present to them.
Muoneke challenged the youths to do self assessment of themselves to be able to determine their areas of strength.
“There should be self assessment. The youths need to know what they are good at. You should get skills in the area you are interested in . You should network to build your skills . They must learn communication and teamwork. They should produce IT products that can solve problems.
He further urged them to embrace failure with a positive mindset and build relationships, adding they must also be ready to sow their seeds rather than eating every of their income
The Executive Secretary, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Dr Rabiu Olowo said knowledge was key to success. He also urged them to stop complaining about the economy and seize the opportunities existing within the same economy.
An entrepreneur, Dr Funmilola Tella called on youths to invest in themselves and their money in profitable ventures, while a youth entrepreneur and shoemaker, Ms Zainab Alayande said knowledge of any field of interest was important to succeed.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende said youths must believe in themselves and be ready to accept opposition as a force for success.
Ogunlende added that the ministry had continued to engage critical stakeholders to ensure youths in Lagos have a voice and the opportunity to execute their ideas.