Minister restates government’s commitment to youth development

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Soloman Dalung has reiterated his ministry’s resolve to partner with National and Voluntary Organisations oThen viable programmes for youth development.

The minister made this assertion when the delegation from the Duke of Edinburgh International Award for Youths paid him a courtesy visits in his office.

He said: “We are interested in rescuing the deteriorating youth situation and we must definitely have a bench mark position so that we can disconnect what we have today and re-orientate and redirect what we have coming up tomorrow”.

Dalung said one of the challenges facing the country is the problem of leadership and expressed delight that the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for Youth Foundation has resolved to partner the ministry of youth and sports in addressing the problem.

He said: “The organization is involved in the things that are lacking; the missing link between leaders and the youths is that of value orientation. The young people having been unattended to for a very long time and have been abandoned to discover for themselves what they imagine to be right.

“We are happy with your coming because we want to setting standard for the development of leadership and ethics in Nigeria. Your organisation is involved in what is lacking in the country today. The missing link between the leaders and youths is that of value orientation and ethics training. The young people having been unattended to for a long time were left to cater for themselves. And in human society, socialisation is the cardinal principle of ethics and values.

“The problem with Nigeria is that of leadership and if an organisation is involved in training young people to become good leaders tomorrow, it is an organisation we can partner with because we will be sure of the calibre of leaders we are going to have tomorrow,” he said.

In his speech, the leader of the delegation and trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Olawale Edun, said the award is an enriching programme for young people that embrace a very wide range of adventurous, cultural and practical activities which young people may choose to participate voluntarily in their own time, under the guidance of trained adult leaders and volunteers.

He said award offers a prestigious national and an international recognition for young people in three levels; bronze, silver and gold.