By Eze Chukwu
Disturbed by the rising level of unemployment among the youths in the country, the federal government has stated that it has launched a unified job opportunities website for unemployed across the 36 states of the federation.
The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, disclosed this after a three-day sensitization workshop on the use of the Nigeria Online Youth Assembly (NOYA) platform held simultaneously across the nation by with live participants at the National Youth Development Centre of Ode Omu in Osun State.
Represented by Mr. Segun Oke, the Director of Procurement in the ministry, the minister explained that, “NOYA is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development developed in order to empower Nigerian youths by disseminating timely information on career-enhancing, trainings, and job and employment placement opportunities via a unified platform.”
He stated that the priority of President Muhammadu Buhari on youth affairs, “formed the background through which the rationale of the NOYA and Digital Entrepreneurship Employability Leadership (DEEL) initiative of the ministry emerged.
“The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development believe that the energy, skills and aspirations of young people are crucial assets that no country can afford to waste, and helping them realize their full potential by gaining access to employment is no doubt a prerequisite to poverty eradication and sustainable development. Rather than seeing youth as a burden to the society, the creation of a youth job template offers the government a distinctive opportunity to focus on employment and job creation for young persons in the country,” he said.
Appraising the Ministry’s achievements, Oke said that the ministry “in the last few years in the area of job and employment creation has conducted different skills acquisition and empowerment programmes as a result of the need for investment in the youth in a deliberate and planned manner and as a sustainable pathway to lifting a huge number of Nigerian youth out of poverty to sustain them in productive and viable occupational engagement.
“It is therefore, on this note that my Ministry is creating awareness and innovative opportunities for Nigerian Youth by advancing nimble values and principles, creating a safe space for networking, developing new skills, sharing ideas and flourishing together through leveraging on the Nigerian Online Youth Assembly (NOYA) to crowd source youth employment in Nigeria.
“Over the years, young persons have played vital roles in leading global movements that have changed the world despite the numerous challenges that they often face such as age and gender discrimination, lack of resources and unemployment.
“Therefore, permit me to say that NOYA platform tends to re-invent the future of Nigerian youth using knowledge and creativity to escape poverty traps, unemployment, immoral acts and other unhealthy plaques existing in our society.
“Having been sensitized on the various opportunities available on the NOYA platform, I urge all youth gathered here today and all Nigerian youth to take up the challenge for self-development that will support youth inclusion in Nation building.
“You have the potentials, the talents and energies and so take up opportunities for skills development and other opportunities that will give you leverage in global economy”.
Oke also maintained that the programme is in line with the priority focus of Pmthe president to create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth and lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
