With the advent of the Soro Soke Generation opening up the more and speaking up with more vigor and agility, desiring and strategizing for a more engaging and transformed nation, Youths for New Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter has joined other state branches to organize a Youth Summit to discuss and move forward the agenda for a more youth focused governance in Lagos and Nigeria at large. Whilst a lot of people have been known for the talks, it is important to identify some young players in the political and social service space and do what is necessary to not just raise light bearers but to also lead the path.

On the lineup of speakers are seasoned and experienced actors including the young and vibrant Hon. Opeyemi Apatira, the Supervisor for Youths, Sports and Agriculture, Ojodu LCDA and also Founder, Foodlink.ng. He comes to share his experience on how he contested almost four years ago and made his way into the position mostly held by the elderlies. Mr Gbenga Agoye has had his fair share in the political space, he comes to shed light on the steps to take to be politically relevant and contribute to nation building even while holding no political post or appointment. Mr Michael Sasere leads the Voice of Hope Nigeria movement in Osun State and has had his imprints in the politics of Alimosho Local Government Area. YNN board would be ably represented by Mrs Adebimpe Adedeji to further encourage everyone of the sincerity and purposeful leadership being propagated by YNN.

Comrade Sunday Obanubi, National Coordinator is inspired that youths across the nation are taking responsibility outside of the old ways of waiting for government to do everything, as that is the major key to demand accountable governance and effective leadership. Comrade Dayo Adeleye, the Lagos State Coordinator is pleased to welcome everyone to the summit as we brainstorm and position the youth for a New Nigeria. For participation, please click on link https://forms.gle/AaCCgzkfcgEsDwG26 to register as limited seats are available. Follow YNN on all social media for more updates on this and other events happening simultaneously nationwide.

Newsjaunts learnt from a source close to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq that the much anticipated N-Power batch C Successful Applicants List will soon be out this November.

The source who pleaded anonymity stated that, ‘N-Power batch C Successful Applicants List will be out this November, the listed experienced a setback due to the #EndSARS Protests but I can assure you that the list is at the final stage.

This is coming few months after the applicants of the N-Power Batch C 2020 to the Twitter to express their impatient over the next action of the onboarding process of the new set of beneficiaries.

Newsjaunts Online recalls that Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development of Nigeria, in August restated that her ministry received over 5 million applications in within one month.

400, 000 successful enrollees will be selected from the final application pool.

“The N-Power Batch C application portal closed on Sunday, August 9, 2020, after receiving over 5m applications. As we embark on the review process, efforts are in high gear to clear the stipends for Batch A and B before onboarding the new set of beneficiaries,” Farouq, had said on micro-blogging site, Twitter.

Farouq in August stated at the grand finale of events in commemoration of her ministry’s first year anniversary, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, that the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs ‘will ensure due diligence will be applied to ensure that only duly qualified applicants are enrolled for N-Power Batch C during the selection stage’.

Farouq stressed that: “We have successfully exited the 500,000 Batch A and B beneficiaries and closed registration for Batch C with a total of 5,042,001 registrations received.

“As we move to the selection stage, the Ministry will ensure due diligence will be applied to ensure that only duly qualified applicants are enrolled.”

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has launched the State Youth Empowerment Scheme, OF-YES with a call on youth to key into the scheme to develop themselves for a secure future.

Abiodun, who spoke while launching the scheme at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, to mark this year’s National Youth Day with the theme, “Youth, Skills and Insecurity: Connection, Cost and Opportunities,” said the scheme would focus on training participants to become artisans, such as bricklayers, carpenters, welders among others.

Participants, the Governor explained, would be selected from those already registered on the job portal and those who would be registering, then matched with offtaker organisations in both the public sector and private sector with beneficiaries receiving allowances during the skill acquisition programme.

He noted that the new empowerment scheme was another window of opportunity for all youth, particularly artisans, to realise their dreams, as there was a link between unemployment, insecurity and lack of education..

“This empowerment programme will accommodate 250 youth from each of our 20 Local Government Areas – this means 5,000 youth across our dear State. And we are particularly delighted that this initiative will be another boost to employment generation, poverty alleviation and food security in our dear State. Very importantly, it is a veritable approach towards placing our youth at a vantage position as proud inheritors of the future that we are building,” Governor Abiodun explained.

The Governor opined that it was imperative to pay adequate attention to the development of the youth as they form over 60% of the nation’s population, maintaining that it was the function of the society to help in harnessing and focusing the vibrancy and energy of the youth to positive enterprise.

“For us as a government, we have and will continue to tap into this raw energy of our youth through different approaches of our policies and programmes,” he said.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Oludare Kehinde, while reeling out some of the achievements of the administration in youth empowerment, said the programme came at a time when issues concerning youth are currently at the front burner nationally.

Delivering a lecture on the theme of the celebration, social entrepreneur and founder of Rise Network, Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, while criticising past and present leaders on neglecting the youth for too long, stressed the need for youth to organise themselves and aspire for leadership positions.

She opined that the #EndSARS protest was a reflection of anger in the land, adding that it was time to fix education and create jobs in order to channel youth exuberance and energies into viable productivities.

Founder and Senior Pastor, Victory Life Bible Church, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, enjoined the youth to embrace entrepreneurship, while the Chief Imam and Lecturer, Department of Arabic and Islamic studies, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Associate Professor Akeem Akanbi, harped on the need for the youth to be disciplined and lead an upright life, urging religious leaders to help in bringing up the youth in a righteous way.

Ogun Youth Ambassador and winner of this year’s Big Brother Naija, Olamilekan Agbeleshe who was also in attendance, called on Nigerians to accept more, vital social impact lessons from the #EndSARS protest, while government at various levels should put in place viable skill acquisition centres to impart on youth to be solution providers.