Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that Nigerian youths are the present and future leaders of the country, and as such, they should be given the necessary support to succeed.
The Speaker stated in a speech delivered while declaring open a public hearing on a bill to establish the National Youth Development Commission organized by the House Committee on Youth on Thursday, at the National Assembly. According to him, all governing actions and policy priorities must ensure that young people can dream big dreams and achieve grand ambitions.
“This includes ensuring that they have access to quality education and training to develop the skills required in the modern economy,” the Speaker explained.
He added that already, a bill by Rep. Simon Karu has been designed to advance policy recommendations to establish a framework for coordinating a national strategy for promoting the social, economic, and political advancement of the nation’s youths.
Speaking further, the lawmaker asserted that for such bills, “it is a proposal that will be improved through thorough consideration and informed debate as it makes its way through the legislative process in the National Assembly.
“The youths are our nation’s present and future. All avenues for ensuring that young people have access to capital to innovate and build enterprises in every economic sector should be explored”.
Gbajabiamila noted that there is a need to sample the opinions of stakeholders from across the country so that from the agglomeration of these multiple views, the National Assembly might fashion a legislative approach that serves the best interests of the country.
While stressing that all lawmakers have a lot of work to do, the Speaker encouraged his colleagues to do their duties diligently well by ensuring that the contributions they make are informed and considerate, taking into account all the challenges being faced in the country today as well as the opportunities that abound.
