By Abbanobi – Eku Onyekachi
Abuja
For easy leadership in the future, the Deputy Senate President (DSP) Barau Jubrin and the chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola inform that Nigeria’s 10th Senate is committed to ensure a brighter future and welfare.
According to press releases from their media advisers, Dr Ismail Mudashir and Kayode Odunro respectively, the DSP who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker, the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Parliament) said this on Saturday at the Companion of Association of Muslim Men in Business and the Profession, 2024 Conference and 6th National Discourse at the National University Commission (NUC), Abuja, while Adeola who represents Ogun West at the senate said his own while marking the International Youths Day (IYD) in Abuja Monday, the 12th August, being the day set for the celebration of the IYD.
Reiterating that the N/Ass will continue to enhance the relevant legislative framework to create more opportunities for Nigerian youths and tackle brain drain in the country, the DSP assures of the readiness of the ECOWAS Parliament to create an enabling environment within the West African subregion through legislation to promote the socio-economic welfare of the people.
Noting that the theme of the conference: “Between Patriotism and Self-preservation,” and the topic: ‘Dilemma of the Nigerian Youth; Challenges at Home, Uncertainties Abroad, reflect the ethical dilemma confronting some of the country’s youths whose skewed mindset is not allowing them to appreciate the value and true essence of being Nigerian, he added that working with the executive arm, the federal legislature will create opportunities for the youth to pursue their potential to the highest levels within the country’s shores.
He therefore hailed the organisers of this event for creating such a promising platform for sharing ideas that will advance the cause of our national values and development. You couldn’t have tar
Earlier, in his welcome speech, the president of the organisation, Engr. Kamil Olalekan pointed out that recognising the net detrimental effect of excessive immigration on Nigeria’s national development, it is crucial to address it and stressed that a pressing issue of national concern is how to retain Nigerian youth, particularly professionals and skilled workers, to contribute to national development.
He, however, regretted that the country’s brightest talents in information technology, medical sciences, biotechnology and academia are leaving, driven by a pervasive pessimism about the country’s prospects.
On his own, Adeola maintained to give Nigerian youths, programmes targeted at digital literacy for as many youths as possible, even as he hailed the theme for the 2024 IYD: “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development,and informed that in all his over 21 years as a legislator at state and federal levels, he has ensured that digital literacy and empowerment is part of his empowerment programmes for thousands of youths among his diverse constituents, stressing that Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), is the way of the future with the youth population playing a critical role.
Observing the importance of ICT since over 20 years of representing his people, Adeola informed that he has trained hundreds of youths at NIIT for different skills with many of them now fully established as employers of labour in the ICT, adding that over the year, he has facilitated training for different ICT programmes for over 10,000 youths with some of them getting international certifications that makes them
employable internationally.
Informing that he facilitates laptop for the trainees at secondary and tertiary institution levels, as well as facilitates the construction of over 10 fully equipped ICT Centres in Lagos and Ogun State for digital literacy: he said: “As the youth celebrate their day, I want to encourage them to channel their energies into productive ventures particularly in the area of ICT which is a veritable way for sustainable development. In today’s world and in the future digital literacy is a must to be relevant as even now many youths are gainfully engaged in remote work through ICT.”
