Fashola’s Aide Decries Youth Unemployment

Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru has decried the high rate of unemployment among youths in the country, saying all hands must be on deck to salvage the situation.

Speaking at an event to mark the 2012 International Youth Day in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, on Wednesday, Badru said concerted efforts must be made to safeguard the future of young people who were “our future promise, our innovators, academics, entrepreneur and political leader.

“The future rests squarely on their shoulders; it will be through their agency and their vision that we will successfully emerge from economic crisis we are now experiencing. We need to offer them hope and more importantly we need to offer them solutions.”

According to him, “the problem of unemployment among youths is something that all of us will tackle, and I am challenging all of you to ensure that in the next election we will vote in a government that is passionate about youth development.”

He challenged youths in the state on the need to take up leadership responsibility by participating in government decision making.

The special adviser added that the celebration was to highlight  the ways the United Nations member states, the private sector and stakeholders could partner youths with a focus on the five thematic areas.

“Youths are transformative force, they are creative, resourceful and enthusiastic agents of change. We need to listen to and engage with young people, we need to establish more and stronger mechanism for youth participation,” he said.

He said there was need for the nation to go back to the basis by restoring values in young people if it wanted to effectively tackle the challenges affecting youth development.

Permanent Secretary, Office of Youth and Social Development, Mr Abiodun Junaid called for synergy of all stakeholders to build a better society for the youth.

“The role of stakeholders cannot be over-emphasized as they remain the pivot of developmental activities in any nation of the world,” he said, advising the youths to use the knowledge acquired at the forum to better their lives.

The guest lecturer, Dr Uwemedimo Esiet challenged the youths to find solutions that would help address issues that affected them collectively

—Kazeem Ugbodaga