Nigeria, as a nation, does not have
enough budding entrepreneurs following through on their ideas to set up
businesses despite the fact that the pride of being gainfully employed
has waned. In contrast to what obtained in the 70s and 80s, decades when
the demand for educated Nigerians was high, the present rate of
joblessness is alarming. Gradually, Nigerian youths are taking to the
streets – some to the jungle and the trenches to be up in arms against
society – in the face of decreasing opportunities to utilise their
natural abilities. The paralyzing consequences of that reality make
youth re-orientation more urgent and expedient than ever before.
Whereas experts have proved that our
greatest opportunity for growth is located in our greatest strength,
better still, talent. Nigerian youths, like their counterparts, in other
parts of the world, must be taught or encouraged to dig deep into their
haversacks of divine endowments.
The youths are the ones saddled with the
responsibility of creating a better Nigeria, a decade hence. The
disgusting regularity of mineral waste must not be allowed to recede
into human capital waste that can cripple the years ahead. Corporate and
governmental bodies, which have enjoyed milking the nation of its
natural resources, must take responsibility by giving back, in form of
organising empowerment workshops and creating a well-publicised and
unbiased entrepreneurship fund, for the greatest number of Nigerian
youths.
No longer can Nigeria, standing at an
estimated 160 million people and still counting, with 70% being youths
and a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per
day, sold at 103 dollars each barrel, go cap in hand, begging for
unnecessary aids or hand hand-out from some recessed and bored countries
in America, Asia or Europe. The nation must look inwards, take
responsibility and invest, from its revenues, in the youths, in such a
way that they can innovate, research, make discoveries or establish
businesses with local contents, for both local and international
patronage. Nigeria, as a true giant of Africa, can dominate the world
that way.
Where we have shared knocks, some kudos
should also be, deservedly, accorded the standard-bearers of youth
empowerment and re-orientation. In this regard, MTN Nigeria has been
organising entrepreneurship work-shops tagged MTN Link Forum, across
Nigeria, to link the budding national youth population with established
business people. Recently, the forum held in Onitsha, a commercial and
religious centre, which borders the river port, on the Eastern bank of
the Niger River in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria.
As the nation’s economy needs more
entrepreneurs to take the plunge, young men and women were made to lap
up the experience of business gurus, without going through their pains,
financial losses, mistakes, while venturing into a particular business.
Emerging entrepreneurs and
business-minded youths who participated, at the entrepreneurship forum,
will not forget in hurry the intellectual tools shared by two successful
Anambra gentlemen, Engineer Chukwudi Egemba, CEO, SCOA Heritage, and
Mr. Nwadiogbu Ebele John, the Chief Executive officer, Piccalilli Bites
& Licks, Awka.
The two-hour eye-opening, punchy and
exciting experience shared was reminiscent of a professional platform to
network, seal deals over handshakes while socialising with great
mentors. If Nigerian youths are, continuously, exposed to fora and
workshops like these, it is only imaginable what the future .
By: Kingsley Udumadi
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