The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology has pledged to assist Nigerian youths to become innovative entrepreneurs through its various Science and Technology programmes.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Nabasu disclosed this when he received a delegation of Northern Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) who paid him a courtesy call in his office recently in Abuja.
According to Nabasu, the country’s youths should take advantage of the Presidential Executive Order 5 which is designed to promote local content and accord priority to Nigerian professionals in the award of contracts in Science Engineering and Technology.
The Permanent Secretary further said Nigerian youths should leverage on technology incubation, solar energy, production of transformers and Leather Science Technology programmes of the Ministry, to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour rather than salary earners.
The Ministry’s doors, he added, are opened to any serious youth, adding that professionals in the Ministry would be too willing to give training on start-up Innovation, Science and Technology entrepreneurship and others.
He also appealed to Northern youths to fight anti-social activities like kidnapping, banditry and religious intolerance.
The Permanent Secretary said since 60 per cent of Nigerian population was made up of youths saying that “if Nigeria must remain as one indivisible entity, bridge – building rather than divisible tendencies should be championed by everybody.”
He assured the delegation of the federal government’s commitment to align with youths in forging a common front for political and economic development of Nigeria.
Nabasu also commended the Northern Youths Council of Nigeria for its pragmatic advocacy towards nation building and for honouring him with the award of Wakilin Matassan Arewa.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice President National Affairs Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Barrister Abdulmalik Alfa, said that the Council had initiated advocacy campaigns against social vices across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
The Council, he added, also partnered with the Centre for Entrepreneurship in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to train Northern youths to be self- reliant.
