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Our Priority Is To Empower, Protect Every Youth-Olawande

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… Launched a Youth Activities Dashboard

Joel Ajayi

Minister of Youth Development Comrade Ayodele Olawande has re-echoed that the priority of the ministry of youth is to empower and protect every Nigerian youth.

He stated this at the media parley for the ministry’s Correspondents on Tuesday in Abuja, where he highlighted many renewed hope initiatives that will brighten the future of many youths noting that its time for the youth to progress.

Minister expressed that in the last 40 years youth in Nigeria are unable to have access to the government until now that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu put the things right that will soon help many Nigerian youth to thrives.

He highlighted some of the initiatives, like Green House in local government, Youth Bank, Youth Trust Fund, Nigerian Youth Academy, Nigerian Youth Help Desk, One Youth 2 Skills and others that will lift many youth out of unemployment era to employer of Labour.

According to him, my objective was to ensure protection, empowerment and support for young people across the country both formal and informal.

“We are set to renewed hope of Nigerian youth, under this renewed hope agenda, every Nigerian youth will thrive. We have come to an era whereby young people bridging the gap between the youth and government.

“If there is one thing that we want to achieve as a Ministry now, it is to support the young people.

“It is to empower the young people and also to protect the young people. If we can do these successfully, I know the young people are going to be proud of this Ministry. With the help of all the directors, we have made up our mind that it is time for youths; youth for youths.

“My priority as a Minister of youth is to empower and when I said empower, aggressive empowerment

“And when I was Minister of State, we had a partnership with a lot of organisations, even within the government, departments and agencies that is why we are telling all Nigerian that the door of youth Ministry is open for collaboration. ”

Speaking further, Olawande said the Ministry has launched a Youth Activities Dashboard, that serves as a collation point for all efforts of the government targeted at the youth population.

“Today, we launched the Youth Activities Dashboard. And what are we saying? We are saying that everybody should go on this dashboard. No more sending stories to you on WhatsApp that are not correct. No more telling you that there are government initiatives that do not exist.

“We are going to put up activities that will let you discover that we have over 7,000 activities of Youth in MDAs and all that, that are not residing in the Ministry of Youth. And we have come back to say look, the collective efforts of a large number of people that believe in this country, that believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, that we are set to renew the hope of the people. ”

He also said the Ministry will launch the Nigerian Youth Academy in January, which he described as the Ministry’s version of Coursera, an online learning platform.

Very soon in January too, we will be coming up with NiYA, which is Nigerian Youth Academy, that for one year now, we have been moving back and forth in planning, because whatever is not planned for very well, we are going to have k-leg.

”And we don’t want to have a k-leg. We want to have a smooth ride, and we have a smooth ride now, and we are saying it is time for the Ministry of Youth to have its own Coursera,” he said.

Olawande noted that the platform, which would serve formal youths, would allow youths to study and take online classes in their preferred languages, adding that the Ministry was also engaging state governors to have a greenhouse in all the local governments, where each local government would make products with raw materials found in the community.

“And that is why we are writing to the Governors’ Forum and the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, that we want an active greenhouse in all local governments, in all 774 local governments. The President has given us one for Abuja; it’s in the process. Very soon they are going to give hand over to us.

“But we want a working youth greenhouse, whatever we call it, a greenhouse, in all so that we can partner with trade and investment. What we are driving at in December next year is we want to see one product, one local government.

“We want the greenhouse in all local governments to be impactful to the young people so that we can have a product in each local government. A product that the raw material is residing in that local government, not that we want to go and import.”

Comrade Olawande equally urged Nigerian Youth not to let the political gambler decive them urging them to key in into different initiative put in place by the present Administration under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to thrive in life.

Minister however uses the occasion to congratulate the latest Africa footballer of the year Ademola Lookman and others Nigerians youth who made the Nigerian proud in football sector, urged all the youth in the country to always involve in anything that can positively project good image of this country.

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NICRAT, Roche, Oncopadi launch BRANT app for breast cancer care

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NICRAT, Roche, and Oncopadi unveiled the Breast Cancer Access Navigation and Testing (BRANT) application on Thursday in Abuja, aimed at reshaping breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Nigeria.

At the launch, Prof. Usman Aliyu, Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), described BRANT as a significant step in the country’s efforts to enhance patient care and streamline support systems.

He emphasised that the app would also empower individuals battling breast cancer, offering them better access to resources and guidance throughout their journey.

Represented by Dr Waziri Usman, the Director of Cancer Prevention and Control, Aliyu emphasised that breast cancer remained one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of cancer among Nigerian women.

He noted that early detection, timely intervention, and leveraging technology could greatly improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

BRANT, he explained, was designed to make navigating the complex landscape of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment easier, by connecting patients, healthcare providers, support groups, NGOs, and civil society organisations into one unified system.

Dr Omolola Salako, CEO of Oncopadi, highlighted the shortage of oncologists in Nigeria, with fewer than 95 oncologists nationwide, particularly in rural areas.

She stressed the need for technology to bridge the gap, allowing oncologists to reach patients across the country.

“Oncopadi has already been mobilising cancer patients for online care and educational resources over the past seven years.

“In partnership with Roche, Oncopadi is supporting 5,000 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The collaboration leverages Roche’s expertise in oncology diagnostics and Oncopadi’s digital oncology capabilities to launch BRANT.”

Dr Ladi Hameed, General Manager of Roche Products Limited, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to address the growing burden of breast cancer through awareness, early detection, and access to treatment.

“The BRANT programme, which includes free immunohistochemistry testing and multidisciplinary teams, aims to remove financial barriers that delay diagnoses and treatment,”he said.

While the programme would run for the next 18 months, Hameed called for collective efforts to ensure its sustainability.

Mr Alexander Chimbaru, Deputy Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Nigeria, lauded the initiative, calling it a valuable solution to reduce the burden of breast cancer.

He stressed the importance of taking action to ensure the programme’s success.

Dr Fatima Kyari, Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), supported the initiative, urging the organisations to adhere to regulatory guidelines regarding specialist support, digital health tools, and patient information.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports BRANT is a user-friendly platform offering personalised care, expert consultations, diagnostic tests, treatment facilities, and support for patients throughout their breast cancer journey.

NAN

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