No contemporary Nigerian leader has done more to empower young Nigerians economically than President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Buhari Media Organisation (BMO).
The group made this observation in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, against the backdrop of the flag-off of the National Young Farmers Scheme designed by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) to spur more youth interest in farming.
“This is yet another Buhari-era initiative targeted at creating a new generation of farmers as well as ensuring more youth inclusion in agriculture.
“From all indications, it is a programme that will touch every part of the country with an annual engagement of 1,000 young Nigerians in each of the 774 local government areas under the auspices of NALDA, an agency that has now been revived 20 years after it was abandoned.
“We are elated that the President has taken it upon himself to directly supervise the agency to ensure that the Young Farmers Scheme gets the necessary attention, as well as the full cooperation of State governments in keeping their side of the bargain in terms of making land available where necessary.
“Like many people, we view the scheme as one with the dual advantage of creating job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths and ensuring self-sufficiency for the country in food production.
” Nigerians should also note that just as the scheme was being launched, the National Youth Service Commission (NYSC) announced that it has received a Presidential directive to enrol Youth Corps members into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“Both initiatives might be seen as a direct response to the yearnings of young Nigerians who were part of the recent #EndSARS protest, but they are actually part of the administration’s policies targeted at empowering young people,” the group said.
BMO added that the Buhari administration has always been proactive on youth-oriented issues.
“Leading the pack is the N75b Nigerian Youth Investment Fund domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, an innovation that was introduced to provide investment loans for youths and youth-owned businesses in the country.
“This was launched in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown and meant to ease youth unemployment through access to loan ranging from N250,000 to N50 million.
“There is also an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) known as the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) scheme and introduced earlier this year to engage a minimum of 370,000 youths in agricultural production across the country, over the next three years.
“Its main thrust is to reduce unemployment among youths in the country and increase agricultural production through food security, job creation, and economic diversification.
“So the Buhari administration has always had youth-specific economic empowerment programmes in place, long before now, which many young Nigerians are already keying into.”
The group urged more young people to explore avenues of benefitting from the various initiatives of the Buhari administration which have the potentials of creating a new generation of entrepreneurs.