The European Union has inaugurated 25 Nigerian Youths as members of its Youths Sounding Board in Nigeria, launched on Monday, September 13.
The board members were selected based on merit and with recognition of Nigeria’s diversity, officials said.
The Deputy Head of Delegation EU, Alexandre Borges in his opening remarks stated that Nigeria is the second country in Africa to launch the Youths Sounding Board after Zimbabwe. He added that the youths were selected based on their knowledge and experience in areas of interest to the European Union.
According to Mr Borges, out of a hundred applications, 25 motivated Youths were selected from different regions across Nigeria to bridge the division which posed a huge threat in terms of employment, education and opportunities for life.
The Nigeria Minister of Youths and Sport Development, Mr Sunday Dare appreciated the EU for the initiative.
Mr Dare said the federal government has made it very clear that it needs to collaborate with various interest groups to achieve youth development. Therefore, the youth sounding board is a welcome idea, he said, adding that the continuous engagement of young people is the only way we can deal with the burning issue of inclusiveness in development.
“I have confidence in the average Nigerian youth and I’m sure the people selected will be good ambassadors to the nation and their communities,” Mr Dare added.
“The approach to dealing with youth issues must be multifaceted and collaborative. What they are doing today adds another layer to the efforts of the federal government to engage our youths and empower them.”
The minister also said that the federal government has introduced the National Youth Conference which begins from Monday.
He added that 370 youths would converge for the National Youth Conference in October to chart an action plan for the nation’s youths.
