Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday pushed for the immediate training, empowerment and positive engagement of the youths to avert future danger.
He warned over a year ago that the army of the unemployed youths was a time bomb and something that could make the country vulnerable to a situation similar to the “Arab Spring”
.
The former President said a nation that neglects its youths “is playing with a dangerous game with its future”.
Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at an event marking this year’s edition of the United Nations (UN) International Youth Day.
The former President, who led over 200 youths from the Youth Centre arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Youths Centre (OOPL) on a charity walk, urged government at all levels to make youth empowerment and development their priority to ensure a secured future for Nigeria.
He noted that it was because of the importance of the youths to the nation, the community and the society that the UN dedicated August 12 each year to celebrate youths across the world. The former President admonished the youth to be of good behaviour.
Obasanjo said: “When the United Nations decided that youths all over the world will be celebrated in one day of the year, it knew what it was doing.
“This is because people will say youths are the hope of the future. But you are more than the hope of the future; youths are the hold on the future, the stability of the future and, in fact, youths are the future.
“So, when we talk about the youths, we are talking about the future. Any country or community that does not take the training, the skill acquisition, the empowerment and employment of its youths seriously, that community or nation is playing a dangerous game with its future.”
According to the former President, the theme for this year’s celebration is: Youth And Mental Health.
Obasanjo noted that the theme was appropriate because it highlighted a long neglected issue of mental health.
He participated in the two-kilometre road walk, which took off at the popular Kuto Roundabout, where youth groups converged, and terminated at the OOPL.
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BE PREPARED!!!
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