According to Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, Nigeria’s economy is based on its sizable youth population rather than oil.
He added that a nation can rise to prominence on the world stage if its youth are well-fed and developed.
Abiodun claimed that Nigerian young are smart, vibrant, and possess an unbreakable spirit in a lecture he gave at Mountain Top University’s fourth convocation event.
Despite the country’s abundance in solid minerals, oil, and other natural resources, he noted that Nigeria’s wealth is concentrated among its young people, who are seen as its future leaders.
“Let me state without fear of contradiction that we have a lot to be proud of, but our attitude toward our youths is not part of it,” the speaker added, addressing the theme “The Youth as Catalyst in Building Nigeria’s Future.” The youth’s disenfranchisement in Nigeria is a major contributing factor to our country’s leadership crisis.
“I venture to suggest that even with democracy, the statistical story of Nigerian young appears to have taken a worse drop. It is crucial for you, our youth, to have faith and to believe, as well as for those who want to alter the situation and move our youth forward in politics and industry.
“But above all, don’t let someone else design your reality for you. Since they constantly make it too little when they do that, it might not be the world you want for yourselves, he said.
As the “new oil of the nation,” Abiodun exhorted the youth to focus their energies on breaking new ground in a variety of human endeavors that would spur the desired growth in all spheres of the economy.
The governor also urged the youth to band together, support one another in realizing their potential, and use their sheer numbers to identify and support those who would take the helm in politics and the economy.
Since young people are frequently both direct and indirect victims of bad governance and weak leadership, Abiodun argues that they must actively participate in matters that impact them rather than wait to be overthrown by others without their input.
He underlined that kids are the core of any nation’s development since they serve as its engine through their vigor and persistence.
He called on government at all levels to provide the platform for the youth to contribute to the development of the society, adding that as the future leaders, it is important to involve them in policy and decision making to prepare them for the task ahead.
While calling for the streamlining of admission in the universities and other higher institutions, the governor noted that they must continue to ensure adequate relationship between ‘town and gown’ and produce qualified personnel for the development needs of the society.
He maintained that youth empowerment remains a focal point of his administration, charging higher institutions to expose their students to entrepreneurship and mechanized agriculture, as the sector has capacity to provide employment opportunities, poverty alleviation and guaranteed food security.
The state helmsman called on the Mountain Top University and others to come up with a productive approach to produce youths that would sustain and increase the tempo of development and provide a solid foundation for the future.
The governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the occasion, said the school had made tremendous contributions to manpower development in the country and has set a standard in academic excellence in the country.
He charged the graduates to engage in solving problems and not be job seekers, commending Ogun State government for its efforts at putting the education sector on a sound footing.
In his remarks, the Chancellor, Mountain Top University and General Overseer of Mountain of Fire Ministry, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, while congratulating the graduands, noted that the school was set up to provide an all round education that would make its products compete favourably with the best anywhere in the world.
While admonishing them to take cognisance of all what they had learnt while in the school, Dr. Olukoya called on them to be good ambassadors of the institution and appreciated the parents for sacrificing to give their children and wards sound education that would prepare them for the task ahead.
The institution graduated 264 students with 31 first class, 125 upper class division, 93 with lower class division, ten with third class division and five post graduate degrees.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of two million naira to the best graduating student, Miss Victoria Amaechi from the department of Biological Sciences with a GPA of 4.9