Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports development, says many people who participated in the nationwide #EndSARS protests are not aware of the federal government’s youth intervention programmes.
Nigerians had taken to the streets in October to demonstrate against police brutality and bad governance under the #EndSARS campaign.
Speaking in Niger state on Thursday at a meeting with youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from across the country, Dare said there are at least 25 youth-focused programmes under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“My ministry compiled a compendium of the opportunities and intervention programmes created for the youth by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the last five years and a half, and we were able to come up with as many as 25 of them,” he said.
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“Unfortunately, we also found out that most, if not all, of those that protested, were not aware of these opportunities.
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“They were in part angry with the government without realising that the government has created and continues to create these opportunities for them. The scenario need not have been like this.
“We must make conscious efforts to follow up with the people in our networks and constituencies to take action and apply for these programmes so as to derive the benefits they have to offer.”
The minister also spoke on the need to use social media platforms to reach the youth.
“The #EndSARS protests were coordinated from such platforms, which makes it pertinent that you take your message about what this government is doing to the youth online and to the social media space,” he said.
According to NAN, he also noted that the government has learnt the importance of constructively engaging the youth, “and that is precisely what we have started doing going forward.”
In his remarks, Abubakar Bello, governor of Niger, who was represented by Emmanuel Umar, the state commissioner for youth and sports development, urged the participants to use the forum to discuss the socio-political challenges facing the nation.
