Youths across the country have been urged to explore their potentials for entrepreneurship in order to be job creators and not seekers.
This charge was made by the Kwara State government and the state Revenue Internal Service (KWIRS) at a 2-day training on Employability Advancement Solution for Youths (EASY) held at the Kwara Resources Centre, Ilorin recently.
The programme was organised by the state government in collaboration with Resources Intermediaries Limited (RIL).
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to state governor on Youths Empowerment, Alhaji Saka Babatunde, urged “youths in the state to take advantage of the various loan portfolios available for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by accessing funds provided by government to create self employment.
“This budding entrepreneurship programme focuses on creating employment for youths across the state. We have designed the EASY to address various challenges of youths unemployment in the state as this aims at equipping our youths with market aligned knowledge, soft skills and business tools to the labour world.
“I therefore urge all beneficiaries of this life changing programme to take advantage in adding more value to their educational knowledge and achievement for more comparative benefits in their quest for job opportunities,” he charged.
On his part, the Chairman of Kwara state Internal Revenue (KWIRS), Dr. Muritala Awodun urged the youths to be creative by looking beyond the white-collar jobs.
The chairman who was represented at the event by the Director of Tax Assessment, Mr. Rotimi Olalekan said, “What you need as youths is not job but basically an idea that can rule your own world. So this programme is coming at the time when the youths need to be reminded on becoming entrepreneurs themselves.
“The kind of school curriculum we have today is not preparing you for jobs outside but rather to ignite the skills in you to be job creators,” he added.
According to him, getting more youths to become entrepreneurs will help generate more sources of revenue for the government.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of RIL, Mr. Sujo Adewole stressed that the realities of the current time required that youth embrace entrepreneurship by “locating where there are existing opportunities and tap into them” to make their lives better.
“Youths, believe in Nigeria. There are still good people doing good things. We need to shift away from being entitled and join in creating solutions.
“It is tough being an average unemployed Nigerian, but you have to understand that taking yourself out of that situation is your own responsibility not the government’s or society’s.
“So, you must keep faith within yourself and believe you can transform your country and that is the way change would come to Nigeria,” he advised.
