By Aisha Cole

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured users of the Blue Line light rail of maximum security while on board the system.

Sanwo-Olu spoke as he joined the rail line as its first passenger during its inaugural commercial operation, for the use of the masses in Lagos on Monday.

He acknowledged President Bola Tinubu for being the brain behind the achievement, by including the train in the master plan of the Lagos government.

The government said it had come to reality for Lagos residents to enjoy.

Speaking after a ride on the light rail, Sanwo-Olu expressed gratitude to the management of the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) for ensuring that safety and security of the train was properly managed throughout the journey.

He also commended the Lagos State Commissioner of Police as well as all the security agencies in Lagos for ensuring safety of lives and properties of the passengers while boarding the train.

He advised Lagos residents as well as students to obtain the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) Card and the Cowry Card, which had been integrated to board all the means of government transportation in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu said that with the light rail, he, alongside other passengers, had been able to reach many places in Lagos and return in less than an hour.

He said that the multi-modal transportation had been fully integrated in Lagos with the commencement of the blue light rail.

The Senior Special Rail Design Engineer, LAMATA, Mr Abidemi Atobatele, said that all the terminals were covered by security men and Closed Circuit Television, assuring passengers of full security within the areas.

He said that the train was electrified and pleaded with the residents not to cross over the rail area, but to make use of the pedestrian bridges.

One of the passengers, Ahmed Farida, commended the Lagos State Government for completing the light rail project, saying it would ease movement across Lagos.

“With this train, there is no stress; we are able to move around. You can work with your time, and your mental health is intact now; gone are the days we complained of traffic and all of that.

“So, we went to about five places within an hour to and fro; I must commend the working governor for this great project,” she said.

She urged Lagos residents to support government in maintaining the light rail project.

Princess Mulikat Sanni, former, President, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIoTA) urged Nigerians to ensure they maintain the light train project.

Sanni said that the commencement of the rail would create more job opportunities and add value to the economy of the state.

The Managing Director, Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs Abimbola Akinajo, had said ahead of the commencement that with feasibility study, the train system would be conveying 175,000 passengers on daily basis.

She said that though the commercial operations would have begun in the first quarter of 2023, it was delayed to ensure that all modalities were in place.

“As you know, the first phase of the blue line was commissioned, the infrastructure completion was commissioned by Mr President (Former President, Muhammadu Buhari) in December.

“At the time, we had said to you we would start operations in March. Unfortunately, we did not, by the end of the first quarter, then it was by the end of the second quarter. Unfortunately, we had hiccups with power delivery.

“We are here to say that we are completely ready in terms of all operational infrastructure. The reason that we have been delayed is due to the fact that our power provision was delayed,” Akinajo had said.

The LAMATA boss said that the train service, which would run from Mile 2 to Marina, would run 12 trips on daily basis for a period of two weeks, and the service would gradually increase.

“We will be working according to a timetable. That timetable will be available on LAMATA’s website, that timetable will also be available at every station.

“When the train gets into any station, it will stop for no more than 90 seconds. So, you need to know, and this is it, for us to understand that it is a scheduled service,” she had said.

She said that the Blue Line Rail service had five stations which comprise Marina, National Theatre, Orile-Iganmu, Alaba, and Mile 2. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Editing by Oluwole Sogunle

By Dorcas Jonah

An industry expert, Adil Kurt, has advocated the establishment of industrial parks across each state of the federation to create about 40,000 direct employment opportunities on completion.

Kurt, Managing Director of Zeberced Group, told newsmen on a tour of the Abuja Industrial Park and other facilities in the FCT, that the parks would go a long way to boost the construction sector.

He said when such facility was fully operational, it had the capacity to significantly deplete the unemployment market in Nigeria.

He said indirect employment opportunities from a single industrial park could gainfully engage over 120,000 people as they carried out their various related businesses in the building industry.

According to him, if each state develops a park of such immense benefit with 120,000 persons gainfully employed in the industry, the 36 states will absorb over a million persons.

“Partnership between the federal and state governments will be important. There is a need for deliberate investment in industrial parks across the country so that it can take millions of Nigerians off the unemployment market.

“The desire of the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and the respective governors to urgently
boost the Nigerian economy can be achieved by developing the construction-sector through the creation of industrial parks,” he said.

Kurt said if each state created an industrial park, it would bring spiral economic boom.

He said the federal and state governments should not be scared to invest in developing industrial parks as it had the capacity to generate employment and boost the economy of such a state at a sustainable level.

Kurt said the Abuja industrial park, built by Zeberced group, would host 120 shops that would be available to service the building industry and galvanise value addition to building materials that could boost the economy.

“The Abuja industrial park, when completed, will create about 40,000 direct employment but here in Nigeria, I believe, it would need more.

“Indirect jobs can be easily calculated, if for example and conservatively, each of these business concerns generates three or four persons, it will translate to over 200,000 population of gainfully employed persons.

“This is just one; imagine where each state government established one in their states, the impact will be huge, Kurt said.

He said Nigeria was blessed with all the materials it needed for construction of any kind but could only be realised through value addition and offer investment opportunities to government and private entities to develop.

Kurt said Nigeria could not grow when it relied on other countries for about 95 per cent import of finished products.

He said such products could be produced and processed, thereby creating the needed employment for its citizens and improve on the quality of life of her people.

Kurt who took newsmen round the industrial park and quarry sites, said Nigeria could boast of the largest quarry sites in Africa.

He said this was because its team of investors believed in the enormity of the country’s capacity to feed its building sector with all the materials required to build the infrastructure to drive development.

He said the direction of the administration for concrete roads should provoke states and even local governments to establish various industrial parks to accelerate the desired development of the country.

“You know this will significantly improve the population of gainfully employed persons in the economy and positively impact on those lives.

“We are craving the indulgence of the federal and the state governments to ensure that at least each state should have one such industrial park.

”It is important to diversify industry all over the country, not only in selected areas like Abuja or Lagos; no, it should be all over the country,” he said.

The Managing Director of Zeberced said he was aware that there could be challenges in setting up a park but the determination of the government and other private initiatives to boost the economy, required deliberate efforts for sustainable development.

“Of course, we have challenges, but the government must push. It is about sustainable development.

“It will serve the construction sector covering cement and stones, which are the critical materials for constructions.

“From here we make blocks of all kinds, erect houses, build roads etc.

“There is a huge potential in Nigeria’s construction sector which we have seen.

“This is a developing country and we need a lot of infrastructure to be put in place for the growth of the raw materials to accelerate development of quarry business which requires the production of aggregates for various structural design in Nigeria.

“The two materials in the construction sector are cement and the other one is stone, so we chose stone and we are processing this by adding value to the raw hill.

“For instance, in our country, you cannot even see granite but here, everywhere is granite, It forms a strong material to build the infrastructure, like roads which I mentioned earlier and it remains one of the best materials,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Ikenna Osuoha

President Bola Tinubu has reassured Nigerians of his determination not to fail the country in ensuring a permanent transformation of the nation’s economy for an enduring prosperity.

A statement signed on Monday by Chief Frank Ebere-Njoku, National Spokesperson, Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO), quoted Tinubu as saying this during a closed-door meeting with Alhaji Aminu Suleiman, the Founder/President of TSO.

Suleiman was on a solidarity visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The president, who thanked the organisation for standing by his mandate, said that Nigeria was on the path to recovery.

Tinubu expressed confidence in the capacity of his cabinet members to rescue the country from the present economic quagmire.

“I have at this point assembled ministers to work towards achieving my goal of a progressive Nigeria.

“I am sure that they are capable of delivering on their primary assignments of rebuilding the Nigerian economy because I will remove anyone who fails, since I want results,” he said.

Tinubu, however, promised to run an all-inclusive government where everyone would be given the opportunity to serve, especially those that worked for him.

According to him, “I will always reward loyalty, excellence and hard work.”

Earlier, Suleiman reassured the president of the organisation’s loyalty and support.

Suleiman, who expressed unwavering support for President Tinubu, said they were committed to making the government a great success.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that TSO is one of the associations that mobilised support for President Tinubu’s presidency. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam/Idris Abdulrahman

By Emmanuel Oloniruha, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Youth are one of the greatest assets and investments of any nation. In every nation, the youths play a vital role in national development. Their involvement in decision-making processes is also crucial for fostering positive social change and creating sustainable societies.

By including young people at all levels of decision-making, nations can harness their energy, creativity, and fresh perspectives to address societal challenges and contribute to national development

Unfortunately today, youths are confronted with various challenges, limiting their contributions to national development. These challenges include poverty, limited access to education and training, unemployment, gender biases, health practices, social responsibilities, and limited roles in data collection and research.

Analysts believe that addressing these challenges is crucial for harnessing the potentials of youth as agents of positive social change and promoting national development.

According to Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, while youths are increasingly recognised as positive change agents globally; many struggle for meaningful inclusion but instead experience marginalization.

The State of World Population report released in April 2023 by the United Nations put the world population at over eight billion. Several accounts report that half of the world’s population is under 30, but they have little say over the decisions that shape their future.

This negates a central principle of the 2030 Agenda which is the assurance that “no one will be left behind.” The Sustainable Development Goals are meant for all nations, all peoples of all ages and all societies.

In Nigeria, the youth constitutes not less than 40 per cent of the country’s population and voting population. Though they are making waves across the world in various sectors including the education sector, health sector and the entertainment industry, their involvement in governance and decision making process is still low.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 37,060,399 youths from the age of 18 to 34 constitutes 39.65 per cent of the total registered voters of 93,469,008  for the 2023 general election in the country.

The data released by the commission prior to the election also revealed that 33.4 million or 35.75 per cent of the registered voters were middle-aged persons between the ages of 35 and 49.

Also, a report by Agora Policy titled ‘How to Deepen Gender, Social and Political Inclusion in Nigeria” released in December 2022 states that citizens under 35 years of age account for at least seven in 10 Nigerians.

The report put together by a group of experts on gender, political and social inclusion and produced with the support of MacArthur Foundation, pointed out low level of youth inclusion in Nigeria.

It noted that the capacities of women and youths for full actualisation are constrained by unequal access to power and resources as well as exclusionary norms, practices, laws and policies, which in turn negatively impacts development outcome for the country.

The report states that Nigeria undermines itself by limiting the potential of significant segments of its population, which are youth and women.

“Continuing on this path, amounts to Nigeria shooting itself in the foot or punching grossly below its weight. Deepening inclusion is thus not a favour to the excluded groups but a sensible route to overall national development. It is in Nigeria’s self-interest to be a more inclusive society,” the Agora Policy reports states.

Over the years, several measures have been put in place by governments, institutions, civil organisations and corporate bodies to ensure youth inclusion in Nigeria as a way to empower young people to become agents of change and to bridge leadership gap in the country.

Notable of these on the part of government was the signing of the Not too Young to Run Bill into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2018. Also chief among the efforts was the development of the Nigeria National Youth Policy currently undergoing review, aimed to enhance youth development and participation in the context of sustainable development.

Others include the Youth Development Policy to facilitate interaction between Nigerian youth and the government; the  establishment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to battle rising youth unemployment and promote national unity.

Various initiatives were also carried out by different corporate bodies such as the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), Yiaga Africa, UNICEF and other UN agencies in Nigeria, MacArthur Foundation among others.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been vocal about the importance of inclusive governance, describing it as democratic rights.

While he was President of Nigeria he launched and implemented several initiatives to empower Nigerian youths to address the high rate of unemployment in the country.

Some of the initiatives include ‘You Win’, Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy (YES) in 2015, Public Works, Women and Youth Empowerment Programme in 2012 and Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

Jonathan, the founder of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) and Chairman of West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF), has consistently advocated inclusive governance, justice, and sustainable democracy and others as solution to the Sahel crisis.

The former president, via his foundation, has been engaging African governments, leaders and stakeholders to address structural biases against youth, especially women and girls in order to promote equality and build an inclusive society.

Mr Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, an NGO dedicated to promoting democracy in Africa, believes that increasing youth participation in politics is crucial for the development of Nigeria’s democracy.

Itodo who played key role in advocating for Not Too Young to Run law also believes that implementing strategies such as  creating youth-friendly political spaces, youth empowerment and education, strengthening youth networks and organisation would create a more inclusive political landscape that values and incorporates the perspectives and contributions of young people.

To Director-General, National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Sulaiman, there was also need to change the narrative that youths are mere thugs, instruments of violence and anarchy.

Sulaiman speaking at a two-Day national retreat for Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) of the National Assembly, tagged: ‘Youth Alliance Towards 2023 General Elections, said that youths should be more involved in partisan politics and political activities.

“You can’t have the notion of taking charge or taking power when you refuse to get yourself involved in politics. If youths actively get themselves involved in political activities and parties and at the various levels they are more active, their voices would be heard. This is because they constitute a majority at every level,” Suleiman said.

To the Chairman of Heirs Holdings Group, Tony Elumelu, who is a strong advocate for youth inclusivity and empowerment, creating opportunities for young people is crucial for the growth and development of Nigeria and the African continent.

The leading philanthropist in youth empowerment across African countries believes that youth engagement is crucial for the development of any society, and that entrepreneurship can play a significant role in driving the engagement.

Elumelu, speaking at the induction programme for newly elected governors organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum in May 2023, urged the state executives to prioritise youth engagement and policies that promote entrepreneurship among young people.

He described the measures as the sure means to create the most impact and catalyse socio-economic development and growth.

“We know Nigeria is a nation of entrepreneurs. Hence, we need our governors to unleash this next generation. We have the largest youth population in Africa. The future of our states and country belongs to our youth. We know young people in Nigeria are disengaged from the society, and this creates alienation and lack of purpose.

“This frustration manifests in extremism, emigration and the slippery slope to crime. We recognise the importance of incorporating young people in decision-making and leadership roles and empowering them to contribute to the development of their communities.

“We believe our young can make meaningful contributions to the society, when provided with the support they need. We must create a platform for the young majority to thrive, be heard, and contribute,” he said.

The chairman of the Elumelu Foundation said Nigeria cannot afford to waste her most precious resource, but promote entrepreneurship among young people.

“Entrepreneurship is a transformative process as it helps to explore creativity, pursue passions, and allows meaningful contribution and impact on our own communities.

“By encouraging young people to pursue entrepreneurship, we can help them develop these important qualities that will serve them well in all aspects of life,” he said.

Elumelu said that each governor has a responsibility and should commit to creating favourable policies that ensure these businesses thrive and support young people to harness their potential and create wealth for the nation.

He urged the governors to invest in Nigeria infrastructure, be strategic, identify those areas where all citizens will get the best return.

“Nigeria’s next generation are our hope for a better and more prosperous future. They are dynamic, vocal, patriotic – but they need our support, attention, and empathy. They need our action! We need their participation in our society. We should embrace and welcome this.

“As leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders in our society, we must recognize the potential of entrepreneurship to promote youth engagement and wealth creation in Nigeria.

“We must invest in programmes that support and encourage young people to pursue their dreams and develop the skills they need to succeed as entrepreneurs.

“Let us work together to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship to thrive in Nigeria, and to empower our youth to become active participants in the development of our country. Give them economic hope and they will transform our country,” he said.

As Nigerians look forward to greater youth engagement in the country under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, observers are of the view that achieving that requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses the various barriers to their inclusion.

Scholars opined that by creating opportunities for youths to participate in decision-making processes, increasing their representation in political institutions, addressing financial barriers, and promoting positive role models, Nigeria and Africa can create a more inclusive and representative democracy. (NANFeatures)

**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)

By Esenvosa Izah

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it would continue to advocate inclusion of retirees, both in the private and public sectors, in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Its Assistant General Secretary, Mr Chris Onyeka, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

Onyeka, who noted that the new health insurance bill signed into law on May 19, 2022 sought for a universal health insurance coverage, saying “it therefore, meant everybody was covered including retirees.”

According to him, if such act is in place and operational, then the issue of health insurance for retirees would have been laid to rest because there is a framework already in place that captures them.

“That is the dream of every trade union leader: to ensure that everybody gets coverage; so, there is one thing to make law, it is another thing to operationalise it.

“The problem we have now is that of operationalising it especially funding the scheme itself has to be worked out.

“Although, it is also included in the law how the scheme will be funded, but it has not become fully operational.

“Therefore, as trade unions, we will have to continue advocating and pushing for the implementation of the universal health insurance scheme.

“Also, we will advocate a targeted health insurance scheme for pensioners or retirees: that is also part of our responsibility.

“Trade unions exist to articulate, protect, and project the rights and privileges of workers wherever they may be,” he said.

The labour leader, however, said what was key was the issue of improved social security and protection for retirees.

According to him, if there is a robust social. protection system, it will also guarantee greater access of pensioners to the health benefits.

“It is all about protecting the vulnerable.

“In the private sector, they have more pensioners or retirees who are covered after retirement.

“We will continue our advocacy outreach to ensure they are included in the health insurance scheme,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola/Vivian Ihechu