Northern group to launch youth endowment fund, to tackle unemployment

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Coalition of Northern groups has unveiled its plan to organize a summit with a view to address the problem of youth explosion in the region and to also lunched a youth endowment fund
The groups comprises Arewa Development Initiative, Norther Initiative for promotion of ideals and values, Muryam Talaka and Centre for Human Resources Development and Youth Empowerment.
Prof Aliyu Abdulahi Jibia, from Bayero University who is also the Chairman of Arewa Development Initiative, disclosed this yesterday when he led the delegation on a courtesy call on the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ibrahim Mohammed Mallam Goje.
Prof Jibia who said the theme of the Northern summit is “problem of youth explosion in Northern Nigeria towards chating a meaningful future for youth” lamented the deplorable state of development in the region since inception of democracy.
He added that apart poverty and unemployment, youth exploitation have taken over the region.
He said “ over 65 percent of youth in Northern Nigeria face one exploitation or the other as they hardly go to school, a situation that is disturbing. These necessitate our reason to come together to organize the norther summit to address the problem with a view to chart future for them.
“It’s unfortunate that average Northern youth engage in drug pushing and addict adding that alimajiri institution is been neglected by the government. Also the number of school drop out is more than those enroll in school, what kind of future are we building?, he asked
Prof Dibia said “We also intend to set up a permanent youth empowerment fund because if we leave the youth in the hand of Youth and Sport, they will suffer because bulk of the funds go to sport men without average of the youth getting anything.
“We plan to meet the Chairman of Northerner Governors Forum to intimate him on the objectives of the summit so that he can invite all Governors to participate,” he said.
Responding, the NUJ Chairman, Ibrahim Mallam Goje commended the initiative of the Northern groups on the planned summit saying it will go along way in addressing the challenges facing the region.
He who condemned the quite notice given to South Easterners residing in the North commended federal government for resolving the issue calling on regional organizations to desist from anything capable of bringing dis-unity in the country.