Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, has urged Nigerian youths to build a great society and to allow their generation to heal the country’s wounds.
This call was made by Osinbajo on Saturday at the combined convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Wukari, in Taraba State, where he represented President Muhammadu Buhari, the institution’s Visitor.
In his address titled ‘A Great Future,’ Osinbajo asked young Nigerians to “see the various challenges in our environment as opportunities for the creation of solutions, as we are a nation with a rapidly expanding population with attendant human sustenance needs”.
“Let it be your generation that will bury those prejudices, heal those wounds and build a great society of brothers and sisters of all tribes and tongues,” the Vice President was quoted as saying via a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.
“You belong to a generation of Nigerians ordained by momentous historical circumstances to play on a grander stage. You belong to the most globalized generation ever to walk this earth and your field of competition is not local, but global. You have come of age in the era of a worldwide marketplace of opportunity.
“Refuse to be consumed by the petty prejudices and biases that predispose you to mutual antagonism with your fellow citizens. You must refuse to be prisoners of history and commit to encountering the world with an open mind.”
According to him, the Nigerian can-do spirit, which has earned many Nigerians international acclaim, is an inspiration to establish globally renowned industries and achieve great things.
Osinbajo noted the impact of young Nigerians in the digital technology space, saying, “Our tech entrepreneurs and innovators are not only applying their talents to profit-making endeavors, but are also seeking to address social problems.”
“Young Nigerians, such as yourselves, are pioneering new patterns of enterprise and wealth creation and, in the process, have established this country as the most vibrant innovation hub on the African continent.”
On the Federal Government’s continued support for various initiatives, Osinbajo mentioned the N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund, the Creative Sector Fund of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the over $600 million Investing in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) program, which the president recently approved.
According to him, the iDICE program will provide finance, skills development, and infrastructure to young techies and creative sector entrepreneurs.
He announced the start of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Program, which will last five years and be funded by the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the European Union (EU).
The Vice President emphasized that the program will annually provide fully-paid 12-month internships to 20,000 young graduates in reputable private and public sector organizations across the country.
This is despite the fact that he stated that President Buhari’s administration recognizes the importance of infrastructure in development, as well as the fact that digital technology provides a path to faster growth.
