Ministerial Portfolio: Why Ministry of Youth must stand alone – Prince Ladigbolu

An appeal has been made to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow the Ministry of Youth to stand alone.

In the previous administration, there was a merger of the Ministry of Youth and Sport which many criticism that the ministry was ineffective in meeting the demands of the youths.

However, in the build-up to the release of portfolios, there has been agitation for the Ministry of Youth to stand alone and to be headed by a young person.

On the eve of the ministerial inauguration, President Tinubu reshuffled the list after he had assigned Abubakar Momoh as the minister of youths.

This selection did not go down well with many Nigerian youths who were against appointing a person above 50 years.

Momoh has since been redeployed to the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, and the youth ministry is vacant.

Reacting to this development in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, the President of UNESCO Read & Earn Federation, Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu, stated that there is a need to pay keen attention to youths and annex their potential to develop the country.

Prince Ladigbolu described Nigerian youths as priceless assets, if adequately groomed and empowered, would make a difference in several sectors of the economy.

He said: "The youths are more relevant and very relevant for the survivors of Nigeria and also to make us relevant among the international community in the future.

"The last administration was about youths and sports; sports is business, while youth is about human capacity development for national survival."

Prince Ladigbolu, who has been rumoured to be the favourite pick for the role of the Minister of Youth, was asked by Legit.ng what he would do differently;

he said: "Do you know that the most lucrative ministry before now? It's the Ministry of Youths? The economic value chain of the Ministry of Youths is more than oil exploration.

"My first intervention would be ensuring President Tinubu prioritises the intellectual reinsurance of Nigerian youths. This would go a long way toward letting them know their value and ensure they become the ground shaker of the world's economic value."

Prince Ladigbolu, who has been a pioneer of youth skill acquisition and modern education, said he would synergise with the Ministry of Education and other educational professionals to help youths have a qualitative grasp of the technical know-how of various sectors of the economy, which would range from science, tech, innovation, entertainment, small and medium scale enterprise.

He said: “This country’s youth population boasts some of the highest levels of intellectuals in various industries and can compete and exceed expectations. I will accelerate the provision of such improved competencies and capabilities for Nigeria.”