President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday assured that his administration would place high premium in tackling challenges facing the youth sector.

The president gave the assurance at the 2015 International Youth Day, held at the Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the youth would be empowered by his administration to enable them to lead decent lives and contribute their quota to the socio-economic and political development of the country.

He also said the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government was poised to providing an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive so as to ensure greater opportunities for jobs to be created for the young people.

“We have resolved to provide adequate infrastructure and strengthen our job creation institutions in order to increase opportunities for our young people.

“For Nigeria to sustainably create jobs and ensure growth, we will pay special attention to the growth of our Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

“This can be achieved through boosting the intervention funds as guaranteed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“In order to ensure that young people are healthy, skilled and educationally empowered; we will strengthen our academic and vocational training institutions as well as significantly improve our healthcare delivery system,” he stated.

According to the president, the positive engagements of the youth will assist in reducing criminal activities and terrorism

He reiterated that his administration was committed to fulfilling all its campaign promises which include creating jobs opportunities for the youth.

Buhari, therefore, charged the youth to be the vanguards of the desired change in the society.

“Be assured that, ‘change’ for us is not a mere political slogan but the beginning of a new era desired by the majority of Nigerians.

“The youth must, therefore, be vanguards of this change and at the same time be the change that they wish to see.”

While acknowledging that sustainable development cannot take place in the absence of peace, Buhari called on the youth to work together towards the actualization of sustainable peace and harmony to enable his administration to build an enduring legacy.

The president commended the Nigerian youths for the significant role they played in making the 2015 elections, “a model for democratic governance in Africa.”

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Hajiya Rabi Jimeta, said the event was to provide the opportunity for the youth to provide possible solutions to the problems affecting their development. (NAN)

•Photo shows President Buhari.

Update news