News
Youth Ministry To Collaborate With Katsina State Government On Job Creation
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Youth Development Dr. Jamila Bio-Ibrahim has revealed the plan of her Ministry to collaborate with Katsina state government to create employment for Nigerian youths.
The Minister made this revelation while hosting the Executive Governor of Katsina Stare, His Excellency Dikko Umar Radda who led some members of his cabine on a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister yesterday in her office.
She disclosed the plan of her ministry to establish youth village project in Katsina state that will be built around commodities with comparative advantage in the agricultural value chain like cotton.
” There is no better state to engage young people in cotton farming like Katsina. We hope to work with you to develop that value chain.”She noted that it is one sector that is capable of generating jobs.
She observed that the cotton from the north couldb be used to produce fabrics that can be supplied to other parts of the country like Aba market. thereby increasing economic interdependence and fostering equitable relationships and brotherliness among Nigerians.
The Minister said the National Youth Bank will serve as a funding mechanism for the project that the Ministry wants to embark on when established.
She further said that the Ministry is in the process of mobilizing partners and resources for all these projects and considers Katsina state as a partner from the northwest geo-political zone.
In his address, the Katsina state governor, Dikko Umar Radda, disclosed that he was in the Ministry to seek area in which his state could partner with the youth ministry.
The governor emphasized that the focus of every administration should be on the teeming youth in the country if there must be development.
He said, *”For us to develop as a nation we need to develop the youth, we need to roll out plans, initiatives and programmes that will have a bearing on the Nigerian Youth*.”
He stressed the need for government to ensure that the youths are fully engaged and equipped to drive the economic development of the country.
The governor lamented the current situation where youths are idle and redundant, warning that it could serve as a fertile ground for recruitment of bandits and other criminals.
He said, ” I went round the 361 wards of my state during the electioneering campaign, I have seen the time bomb that is awaiting this country if nothing drastic is done about youth development.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the new permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr Umar Ahmed Dunoma, welcomed the governor and expressed the readiness of the Ministry to collaborate with Katsina state.
News
Ogunlesi backs Tinubu reforms as FIRS chairman Adedeji highlights export-led economy
Joel Ajayi
After a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, Nigerian-born global investor Adebayo Ogunlesi expressed renewed confidence in the country’s economic reforms, indicating potential mega investments across energy, aviation, and port sectors.
He was joined in that optimism by Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), who stressed that the reforms were laying the groundwork for an export-driven economy.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting, Ogunlesi praised the sweeping policy changes under Tinubu’s administration, including the removal of subsidies, tax reforms, and the revival of a refinery already exporting aviation fuel.
“We had an excellent meeting where we discussed how to put Nigeria front and center for international investment. The President was very encouraging, and we shared useful suggestions on driving economic growth,” Ogunlesi said.
Although he declined to reveal specific details, Ogunlesi confirmed that his firm is actively investing in Nigeria and assessing new opportunities.
“Watch this space. Nigeria is not yet the most exciting investment destination, but that’s what we are working on,” he teased.
Pressed on the sectors of interest, Ogunlesi highlighted energy, gas, aviation, ports, and renewables. Drawing on his firm’s experience with LNG projects in Texas and Australia, he noted Nigeria’s massive untapped gas reserves.
On aviation, he acknowledged his reputation as “the guy who bought Gatwick Airport” and signaled interest in similar ventures locally.
He also admitted that one of his companies operates ports in Cotonou and Lomé but none in Nigeria, a point Tinubu reportedly challenged him on.
“He forgave me but said, ‘you have to bring port investment to Nigeria,’” Ogunlesi recounted with a smile.
International investor Hakeem Bello-Osagie, who was also present, underscored the importance of diaspora participation in Nigeria’s growth story.
“When Nigerians at home and abroad invest in Nigeria, it sends a strong signal to the world,” he said, lauding Tinubu’s policies for making the country “investable.”
Echoing the sentiment, FIRS chairman Adedeji described the reforms as the foundation for an export-led economy.
“We’ve done the fundamentals, and now it is time to deliver growth,” he said.
With global players signaling confidence, the momentum for Nigeria’s economic repositioning is gaining ground, setting the stage for transformative investments in key industries.
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