70% Nigerian youth not achieving full potentials – Don 

Not less than 200 million youth globally and over 70 percent youth in Nigeria are not achieving their full potentials, Professor Bukoye Roseline Olufunke of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, has said.

Professor Olufunke stated this, Thursday, during the 17th inaugural lecture delivered at the university campus with the theme: “A Counselor’s Perspective on the Paradox of Raising Youth and Healthy Generation.”

This, she said, has huge implications for their health and for society at large. She argued that investment in early years of the youth provides one of the greatest potentials to reduce health inequalities for appropriate total well being of every nation.

“An inter agency mechanism should be set up to ensure policy coherence for early child development,” she said.

She argued that there should be provision of quality compulsory primary and secondary education for all children adding that “the youth should be involved in variety of programs to train them to understand the root causes of social and community issues, cultural consciousness.”

In a remark, the vice chancellor, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Professor Abu Kasim Adamu, said the theme of the lecture is apt in view of Nigerians preparation for 2023 general elections and challenges of youth restiveness.

He said “with the current electioneering campaign, the nation requires a healthy generation of youth for smooth transition of power at all levels of our nation.”

He applauded the 17th inaugural lecturer, Professor Olufunke for further sensitising the society on youth and healthy generation.

The chairman Senate Committee Conferences and Seminars, Professor V.A Kolawole, in his welcome address, said the theme is topical, current and relevant to development issue in Nigeria, adding that problems of raising youth and healthy generation include but not limited to juvenile delinquency.