As part of efforts targeted at creating a platform for the active involvement of youths in Nigeria’s future, the inaugural Babatunde Raji Fashola, BRF Gabfest held yesterday at City Hall, Lagos Island.
The BRF Gabfest which was themed ‘The Youth in Nigeria: Mapping the Future,’ was held in honour of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, on the occasion of his 55th birthday.
Delivering her address at the event, keynote speaker, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, remarked: “The future of the adults is not secured if we cannot secure the future of the youths. If we do not build the right generation of youths now in the country, they will be the one to destroy the country in the future.”
According to her, “We need to give youths the knowledge that will be relevant now and in years to come. Graduates must have the skills that are needed in the work place. We need to review the knowledge we are passing in the institution, to know if the knowledge is relevant to the needs of the present day.”
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She added that if the country was not stabilised through the creation of an enabling environment for the young ones to strive, and create jobs for themselves, the country would be at risk.
“To map the future for our youth’s means that we must create an environment that empowers and allows people to create jobs for themselves. Nigerian youths need to retrain the youth’s people for new generation jobs,” she said.
Speaking at the event, Fashola called for unrelenting investment in education, emphasising on the importance of education in securing the future of the youths and the nation at large.
“We should also not let down our local language; we should try and explain things we know to our children in our local language because the understanding is deeper when the teaching is in the local dialect.”
Commenting on the importance of the event, Group Chief Executive of Temple Management Company, Idris Olorunnimbe said: “Nigeria is at a crucial stage as we anticipate the national elections next year. It is for this reason that movements such as ‘Not too young to Run’ have gained widespread recognition. Nigerian youth must awaken and take their future into their own hands.”