The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has called on the institutionalisation of the Royal African Young Leadership Forum under the guidance of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II. The Minister made this call Friday 17th January 2020, while delivering a keynote address during the maiden edition of the Royal Awards at the Oduduwa Hall in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The Royal Awards was handed out to about 100 young Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and have impacted on society. The awardees cut across various fields like real estate, entertainment, sports, ICT, humanitarian and social investment.
Mr Dare, who handed out most of the awards alongside Dr Fahad AL-Taffaq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Nigeria, congratulated the awardees and encouraged them to better their current achievements. He said he was elated that the Nigerian Youth was finally getting recognition for positive and worthy contributions to the world. He told the audience that the Ministry is currently poised to develop the Nigerian Youth by improving on their digital literacy, handing them digital skills and greatly improving their employability.
Speaking on the moves to make the Royal Awards more institutionalised, the Minister said, “The Federal Government, through the instrumentality of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, will partner with the Royal African Young Leadership Forum going forward and will sponsor and support this event annually.
“The fact that we are recognising 100 of our Youth today validates the fact that the Youth of this country are not the problem but a resource to be harnessed. Any nation that fails to invest in the Youth in a timely manner imperils not just the future but also the present. The greatest national project of our time is an investment in our youth.
“At the Ministry, we are taking our Youth Development mandate just as serious as we take the Sports Development mandate. President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘New DEEL’ for the Nigerian Youth should be wholly supported. The New DEEL hands young people the power to take a personal stake in their development, and in a broader sense, that of the continent,” the Minister added.
He praised all the young people in the youth present at the event and said, “You represent the best of the 67 million of Nigerian Youth.”
