Government at all levels in the country have been advised to give serious educational and entrepreneurship trainings to the youth and children in order to fix the nation and provide enduring solution to the endemic insecurity bedeviling it.
Stakeholders and civil society organizations gave this advice during a seminar tagged ‘How to fix Nigeria’ organized by OYA Media Nigeria in conjunction with Women Development Association for Sustenance (WODASS) with support from Mac Arthur foundation held at Development Exchange Centre (DEC) Bauchi.
One of the discussants at the seminar Nuru Yusuf Kobi who is the state director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) advocated that for Nigeria to get lasting solution to its numerous problems ranging from insurgency, banditry, kidnappings and criminality, government at all tiers should train youth on vocations and support them to start various occupations.
He added that such skills should be taught to the citizens since from primary schools to tertiary institutions so that as soon as they graduate, they can be self employed.
“We are now trying to find solutions on how to fix Nigeria. One thing we noticed is that if you want to fix Nigeria, you must talk about the teeming unemployed youth we have in this country now.
“We should develop a curriculum that will move towards entrepreneurship where people will learn skills and use them to live on their own. We need to have our educational system towards establishing technical and vocational schools where practical knowledge of doing things will be taught”. He suggested.
Another discussant Mrs Lydia Shehu, a former permanent secretary in the state also stressed that education and youth empowerment could help in fixing Nigeria as youth have pivotal role in the Nigerian project.
While the Senior Special Assistant to Bauchi state governor on empowerment Khalid Barau Ningi tasked the citizens to shun criminality, thuggery and make good use of government’s policies.
Earlier, the representative of OYA Media Nigeria Sakina Ayeyemi explained that the programme was organized for stakeholders to proffer solutions to the problems of poverty, insecurity, illiteracy and unemployment in the nation.
She pointed out that the north east is most ravaged by the problems hence their decision to hold the seminar in the region.