Akwa Ibom commits to youth empowerment

Akwa Ibom State government has pledged its commitment to youth empowerment as part of efforts to engage them in productive ventures and ensure they become self reliant and less dependent on paid employment.

Charles Udoh, commissioner for information and strategy, who made this known in Uyo, the state capital while speaking at a symposium on youth empowerment organised by the students’ union senate of the University of Uyo, said the state government had created opportunities that would empower the youths various sectors and make them attain their full potentials.

Udoh said the opportunities for youth empowerment were available in the various programmes initiated by the state government, including the Akwa Ibom Employment and Enterprise Scheme (AKEES), vocational training, sports and agriculture.

The commissioner, who announced the readiness of the state government to create an enabling environment for learning in the state to enable students achieve their potentials, advised them to see the challenges they face while in school as intended “to prepare them for the opportunities in future.’’

He said the auditioning of the students would begin soon to give them the opportunities to discover their talents and creativity in the media industry, saying that it would enable the students to showcase their skills to the outside world.

In a keynote address, Ibiok Udo, CEO, Innovate Digital Service, advised the students to be creative and innovative to enable them venture into entrepreneurship, saying the present economic challenges facing the country offered great opportunities for sustainable development.

Nigeria has found itself in economic recession because the programmes and policies of the previous administrations in the country could not guarantee sustainable economic development, he said, adding one to ensure rapid economic development is to focus on agriculture and make it a big business.

He noted that it was high time the country moved away from subsistence farming to mechanise agriculture.

 “The challenges we face give us opportunity to recalibrate our lives, the way to go is entrepreneurship. Government should make agriculture a lot more attracting by moving it away from the subsistence level to that of a big business,’’ he said.

He said without proper infrastructure, it would be difficult to have sustainable development adding that proposed coastal rail line linking the states in the Niger Delta would present opportunities for the development of the oil producing states.

Lamenting the high cost of doing business in the country, he suggested that the provision of an enabling environment would quicken the pace of economic development in the country.

He urged the students to imbibe the spirit of entrepreneurship and have a mindset of providing services that would offer solution to economic problems in the society.

“There are potentials in the current economic situation. The recession has presented opportunities for entrepreneurship,’’ he said.

He advised the students not be averse to risk taking saying they should go into business by starting with Small and Medium Scale businesses which he said are the bedrock of economic activities.

The theme of the symposium was “The legislature: bedrock of economic development and youth empowerment.’