Sports Minister seeks adequate funding for youth development

 The Youth and Sports Minister, Mr Sunday Dare has strongly canvassed for an increased and sustainable investment in the Youths for achieving national objectives  and aspirations for an inclusive socio- economic empowerment and engagement in line with the  Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) of the United Nations.

 To this end, the Minister stated that the support and collaboration of the House Committee On Youth and Social Development is crucial to  the Ministry’s deliberate efforts  to increase the ante of  implementation of  programmes for job creation and generation of wealth  that would make our Youths self-reliant, and reduce social vices in the society .

Mr Sunday Dare dropped these hints during an inspection visit by the House Committee on Youth and  Social Development to the Ministry. While acknowledging the pivotal and supportive roles of the Committee to a successful appropriation  of the Ministry’s 2020 budget,  the Minister emphatically stated that the Ministry  ascribed  prime importance to invest heavily in the Youths to achieve the outlined objectives inherent in  sustainable development goals target before 2030.

At this juncture, he averred that government and private funding is mostly needed to develop and implement youth programmes, adding, that the Ministry commended the House Committee On Youth and Social Development  for sharing in the vision of  the Ministry  to empower and equip the  youths skillfully and digitally; through its fait accompli of effective appropriation.  Mr Dare  buttressed his position by stating that Government funding is inadequate to make impactful impression on Youth socio-economic empowerment programmes.

An instance of public private partnership, according to the Minister, was the recently signed MoU agreement  with the Junior Achievement Nig. on Youth programme. The Ministry and African Development Bank are also engaging on the D.E.E.L programme of the Ministry  to draw necessary funding from the Bank, Mr Dare stated. Other private  organization with whom the Ministry had struck working partnership in Youth programmes  include  E-Learning by IBM, the Minister revealed.

Speaking earlier,  Hon. Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman House Committee on Youth and Social Development stated that the Committee is impressed and awed  by the array of impactful   activities, initiatives and programmes reeled by the Ministry to addressing youth empowerment and other youth based programmes;  since the assumption of Mr Dare in Office.

The Chairman, in practical terms, averred that the content of the Ministry’s appropriation for the development of Youths was more than impressive, adding,   against this background, the Committee is resolutely committed to support the Ministry in its mandate of ensuring self reliance  and economically prosperous youths in the country.

 Furthermore, he enjoined the Ministry to liaise with the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in the Office of the Vice President, to derive maximum benefits for the Youths who constituted 60% of the country’s population. He assured that their oversight function will ensure that the Ministry’s appropriation yield positive results in the interest of the nation.

Ramon A. Balogun

Asst. Direct. Inform

For Director, Press