By Stella Odueme
The Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim has announced that the relaunched N100b restructured Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) has received an impressive 80,000 applications within the first 72 hours.
The Minister made this announcement during a town hall meeting that took place with the North Central Youth Stakeholders in Abuja.
According to her this, overwhelming response underscores the strong enthusiasm and interest among Nigerian youth in accessing the fund to support their entrepreneurial and innovative endeavors.
She added that the Ministry is encouraged by this enthusiastic response and is committed to ensuring a fair and transparent selection process to support the most deserving and impactful projects.
“The NYIF will create focused financing and funding mechanisms for youth-enabled businesses and innovations to keep our youth gainfully engaged in productive ventures. To maximize impact, the programme has been restructured to focus on existing high-potential businesses and create strategic clusters that will generate up to two million direct and indirect jobs in three years.”
Dr. Ibrahim emphasized that the present administration, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu places great importance on forming strategic partnerships and fostering collaborative efforts as essential components for successfully achieving the outlined goals.
“All stakeholders, including government at all levels, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and the media, are urged to join us in mobilizing youth across all social strata to benefit from the NYIF. Together, we can foster an environment where young entrepreneurs are given the necessary support to thrive, drive economic growth, and build the desired future for our dear nation.”
“I am inviting you to chart the course of this initiative, as you grab the opportunity to scale up your businesses for national prosperity. To ensure inclusivity, I am taking this message to every part of the country, especially the grassroots. Join hands with me to actualize this mission as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Nigerian youth”, she stated.
She explained that NYIF is a strategic initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria aimed at harnessing the potential of Nigerian youth for economic growth and innovation, focusing on the development and empowerment of young entrepreneurs nationwide.
In their different good will messages,representatives of the North- Central Youth Stakeholders applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his various Youth- focused initiatives.
Among these Stakeholders was Sukubo Sara -igbe Sukubo, Chairman , National Youth Council of Nigeria (North Central) who specially commended the President for his steadfast commitment to enhancing the well-being of Nigerian youth.
Mr. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo highlighted the significant progress achieved in socio-economic, human, and infrastructural development within a short timeframe.
While pleading with Nigerians to exercise patience with the government , Sukubo expressed optimism that the country will soon overcome the present challenges.
He stressed the pivotal role of Nigerian youth in supporting the policies of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for its successful implementation during this period of what he called economic recovery.
In their various remarks, representatives of the different North Central Youth groups unanimously
distanced themselves from the planned nationwide protest, saying that it is needless at this point in time.
