Youths in Enugu State have been urged to diversify their means of income generation to survive the current economic challenges in the country.
Barrister Sam Otoboeze Foundation, a charity organisation, stated this during a one-week poverty alleviation programme held at Nsukka. The initiative is in collaboration with Ochima Foundation.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Building Resilience: Strategies for Youth to Thrive in a Challenging Economy’’, the president of the foundation, Barrister Sam Otoboeze, a security expert, told the over 100 participants to redirect their energy, especially “at this period of economic quagmire where lives are becoming overwhelmingly challenging and unbearable”.
He said it was high time the youths explored and harnessed their God- giving talents for meaningful livelihood, adding that the era of relying on one source of income was over.
Quoting him, “If you say that tomorrow is for the youths, then youths should be prepared for it. It is our duty to give them the other side of life challenges.
“We have therefore brought you here to have discussions and dialogue with you on how you can discover your talents. It is not about grants or jobs but we are looking at how we can add to your tomorrow.
“In business, it is not about how much you use to start, but how you manage the resources you have. We are not sharing money but knowledge, networking and connectivity.
“We give hope to the helpless. We will be glad if after this training you make a difference in your family, government and the society as a whole.”
He said it was disturbing to see the prevailing situation in the country, adding that, “Our foundation is in a haste to change the paradigm, if possible.”
It was gathered that the foundation started as a national programme where people from various parts of the country had benefited.
According to him, “Those who know feel it most. As a security professional, each time I look through the window, I see where we are going as a nation. I feel worried. I am in a haste to bring a paradigm shift, if possible.
“Nigeria can’t be better if our youths are not settled and you can’t do it just in a day. It is a continuous process. We know that gradually we will get it and we start from somewhere. We need a foundation and the foundation is to start from scratch, to see that the youths change their way of life for the better.
“I believe that when we make the necessary contributions to mitigate the economic challenges in the country, the youths will be better and insecurity will as well be reduced.”
The Assistant Commander of Narcotics, Nsukka Area Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr Amah Raphael, in a lecture entitled ‘’The Devastating Impact of Substance/Drug Abuse on Youth Economic Prospects”, warned that people that engage in substance abuse end up achieving nothing in their lives.
In his words, “Those that see the use of drugs as an escape route for daunting challenges of lives or a way of relieving boredom should jettison the idea and embrace legitimate and life sustaining activities.”
The participants commended the organisers of the event, saying they would make the best opportunities of the event to create wealth.