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The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat on Saturday faulted claims that Nigeria ‘youths have no future’, saying he is “upbeat and optimistic” about the country “because of our youth.”
Hamzat assured Nigerian youth that in spite of the challenges facing the country, there is hope for them.
The deputy governor who spoke at a National Youth Symposium with the theme ‘Nigeria: Guiding the youth on the path to self-reliance’ to celebrate his 60th birthday held in Lagos, urged them to take advantage of opportunities available to them to become self-reliant.
Hamzat said Nigerian youths should see beyond present national challenges and take advantage of the country’s numerous opportunities, noting that youths had continued to excel in science, medicine, and music among others on the world stage.
The deputy governor further said the advent of the internet had presented global opportunities for youths to excel and urged them to learn how to manage their time and resources to become more successful.
“We must engage and encourage our youth. These are pivotal moments in Nigeria. Many have lost hope in reversing negative trends. It’s not right that our youths have no future. I am upbeat and optimistic about this country because of our youth.
“Our music keeps the world dancing. Creativity in technology by our youths has soared very high. Your stars keep shining in the world of football. Nigerians are heading everywhere in the world. We must not allow negativity to define us, we must define ourselves. I salute the courage, resilience and tenacity of our young people,” he said.
He admitted that the country is facing socio-economic challenges and insecurity but despite the issues, he noted that foreigners were coming into the country to invest and make money.
“Our problems are surmountable and there are opportunities there. What is it that foreigners are seeing that we are not seeing? We must shine our eyes. We must look back at our history. Our youths are very dynamic,” Hamzat said.
In his contribution, the former Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, while speaking on the topic ‘Why are we here’ said despite the challenges in the country, there were many untapped resources for youths to be self-reliant.
“You are not looking at any individual, you are looking at your own resourcefulness and resilience to take you through. The youths must learn not to depend on the system around them but on their own resourcefulness and resilience,” he said.
He urged the youth to emulate the deputy governor by being exemplary in their dealings.
“The deputy governor is an exemplary leader embodied by education. The government should remove obstacles that prevent youths from accessing the resources of the land. It should not be only for the children of the rich. Nigerian youths should have access to these resources,” he said.
Fagbohun further urged the youths to make use of the knowledge garnered at the symposium to better their lives and the country.
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