The Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, has tasked young people to take advantage of the opportunities that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offers through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ndace stated this Thursday in his remarks at the United Nations Social Development Workshop in Abuja.
The workshop was organised by Yali Network Nigeria and Female Journalist Network Nigeria headed by Dr. Joy Asonye.
He said: “I would like to encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunities that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offers through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Dont close your eyes to the opportunities. Don’t listen to the lamentation, as a citizen, you have the right to criticise government policies constructively. But as you are doing that, also look out for the opportunities.
“We have the students loan scheme, and other opportunities that are open to younger people.”
The DG also tasked young people on responsible use of the social media, urging them not to share content that they have not verified on social media.
He charged the youth to be part of the solutions to Nigerian problems.
According: “The fact that we are here doesn’t mean that there are no challenges. As young people, where do you want belong to; do you want to be part of the solution or you want to be with those who are lamenting.
“If you lament from today till thy kingdom come as they say in Christianity, it will not solve the problem.
“Challenges will always be there, but the question is that what are you doing to be part of the solution? I want to encourage the young people here that they should see the meeting as a mentoring process for them to learn the ropes and the curves from the older generation.
“As young people we have to conduct ourselves responsibly. If you are not sure , don’t share. Don’t be part of those that will further the ahenda of those you don’t know what their agenda are.
“Social media has become integral part of our lives. If you set out to travel abroad for school or any other reason, countries will check out your social media page and handles to find out the kind of person that you are. They want to find out whether you are a bully, a religious jingoist and so on.”
“For those of who follow development around the world, we know that even the concept of security has change. It has be redefined not just in terms of physical security but it has been redefined to include food security, health security, job security, self esteem and whatever,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of investing in young people.
“Therefore, as young people we must understand the importance of investing in not just socio economic development of our society but most importantly investing in our people so that they can take advantage of opportunities that present themselves around the world.”