The Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jemila Ibrahim on Friday said the Federal Government was working out plans to establish a national youth development bank, as part of efforts by President Bola Tinubu to increase access to capital for young Nigerians.
Jemila who stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State, also said the initiative would promote entrepreneurship among the youth.
She said the bank would give young entrepreneurs economic prosperity in the form of access to capital and the opportunity to grow their businesses.
The minister said the government was working on programmes aimed at galvanising development among youths in the country, adding that the job of the ministry was to create the enabling environment, and opportunity for young people to prosper.
“We’re coming with a message and action of economic prosperity. We are tired of the past and that’s why we identify with Mr President’s action plans as an uncommon liberator of young men and women. And this will be replicated in the youth development ministry.
“We have initiatives coming up like the national youth development bank. This is an initiative, endorsed and supported by Mr President that will increase access to capital and of course, create access to the market for young entrepreneurs,” she said.
Speaking further, she said the ministry had lofty initiatives, despite being a new one.
She said the ministry was determined to work to actualise the renewed hope and vision of the Tinubu administration for the Nigerian youths as well as the action plan of the Federal Ministry of Youth.
“There’s institutional and governance structure that need to be in place to ensure we drive the renewed hope agenda to a very laudable outcome.
“It’s important we let Nigerian youths know the action plan and vision of Mr President and that of the ministry. It’s important we work as a ministry to support, drive and implement the vision to align with Mr President’s vision for the Nigerian youth”, she said.
Jemila appealed to youth in the state to support youth and gender inclusion programmes of the Kwara State Government as exemplified by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, which she said were being emulated by other states in the country.
She also appealed to members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria to modify their slogan to: ‘Build the youth, build the nation’ without the assumed threat in the complete version, while advising the youth not to misuse the opportunity of having one of their own in government.
This is just as she urged Nigerians to be patient with the government for well-thought-out plans for the youth, while she promised to engage them more in the planned programmes and actions.
