Nigerian youths on Monday, expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari, for establishing the National Youth Investment Fund with a take-off capital of N75billion.
The Federal Government had announced the Fund in July for a period of three years, to serve as a sort of youth bank that will fund and support the innovative ideas, skills, talents and enterprise of the Nigerian youth.
Presenting a letter of appreciation through the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, president of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Sukubo Sara-Igbesukubo, commended Buhari for the gesture.
Sara-Igbesukubo said that the fund was a special window for Nigerian youths to access aid for their entrepreneurial ideas, innovations and projects.
“The laudable milestone has shown that the present administration has the interest of Nigerian youths at heart. Today, the hope of millions of talented, hardworking and creative young Nigerians is being restored.”
In his remarks, Dare, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Gabriel Aduda, said the fund would enable the country to go beyond empowerment to investment. “The youths will be involved in the decision making as they will be in the forefront to achieve the goal of the fund”.
Dare, who expressed optimism that the fund would help to boost youth investment in the country, noted that the ministry would work with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to evolve modalities that would ensure that the fund was used for the investment it was meant for.
Dare said Nigerian youths do not lack ideas but had limited opportunities to showcase their talents. “We are hoping that with the fund, the youths will put every effort to get it running”, he said, admonishing the youths to be more involved in social media to be abreast with current developments in the world.
