Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Kafilat Ogbara, made the appeal at the Day 4 of the ongoing National Children Leadership Conference, organised by Children of African Leadership and Values Development Initiative (CALDEV), founded by Bamidele Salam.
The lawmaker observed that President Bola Tinubu had genuine care for the nation’s youths, evidenced by his announcement to organise a nationwide conference for young people.
She stressed the importance of empowering young people, adding that giving them a voice prepares them for a brighter future.
Lamenting the alarming number of out-of-school children in the country, Ogbara said approximately 60 per cent of the kids were girls, accounting for 15 per cent of the global total.
The lawmaker characterised the situation as an emergency that needed collective action from individuals, parents, policymakers, and government officials.
She suggested that if governors could adopt just five out-of-school children each, it would significantly reduce the number, and reintegrate them into the education system.
Also speaking, Country Director for Plan International Nigeria, Charles Usie, underscored the need for young Nigerians, especially the participants to translate the knowledge acquired from their various schools into skills that would solve human problems.
On his part, Abdulsamad Dasuki noted that the evolvement of social media has created a wide gap between the older and younger generations of Nigerians.
In his remarks, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, who was represented by Hajia Nafisat Usman, described participants as those who would shape the future of Nigeria.
He, however, tasked them on the positive utilisation of social media for intellectual development.
