Expert tasks government on youth development, economic growth

Principal consultant, Lonadek and project consultant for Vision 2020, Dr. Ibilola Amao, has identified skills acquisition, career guidance and youth empowerment as panacea to the recession the country is undergoing.

Besides, she said, the Federal Government needs to restate its commitment towards youth empowerment and wealth creation, looking at its natural resources to see how it can be harnessed and processed in other to generate revenue.

Amao, who spoke against the backdrop of International Youth Day, with the theme: ‘Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production’, noted that the past 50 years for the country has been very negative because of the over dependence on import while exporting natural resources that are supposed to generate wealth in the country.

According to her, the youths are unfortunately paying the price of the mistakes of their parents and grandparents’ poor decisions. However she said, “The present generation of youths are much wiser now, they are very passionate and innovative about seeing a different thing, they are interested in change. It is a good time for youths to look inward and harness the resources in creating wealth locally.”

She continued: “Creating jobs and wealth for other countries would be a major source of discouragement for our youths. When our youth have the confidence that there are opportunities waiting for them in their own country, they wont be running and looking for visas to other countries where they think they can generate wealth.”

Speaking on the education of the younger generation, she said, to get the best out of youths, we have to make sure the best minds go into teaching and lecturing. I think that is the first error we have made in this country. If we don’t have the best minds teaching, facilitating and developing the future leaders, we would not get the best for the country.”

Secondly, she said there was the need to update the curriculum; some of the curriculum used in schools are outdated and obsolete. ”There is also a need for public and private partnership to sponsor the enhancement of educational laboratories, libraries and facilities and to ensure that people are passionate about whatever subject they go into.”

Besides, she noted that career counselling is very fundamental, stressing that if a person is counselled on what to study on the basis of their passion, potential and interest, they are more likely to excel and more likely to add value to the nation. But if parents force their children to study a particular course they don’t like, then we are doing the nation a great disservice.

Speaking on the idea behind Vision 2020, she observed that a lot of the educational processes in the country do not develop wealth creators. A lot of people keep looking up to government and the leaders to change Nigeria.

“The whole purpose is to let every individual look inwards, starting from the younger generation to begin to creatively solve Nigeria’s problem and in so doing transform our nation from dependent country.”