Moses Siasia, the immediate former president of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), says there is no sustainable economic plan for young people that can stop the migration abroad.
Siasia spoke in Abuja on Friday when he handed over the affairs of the forum to David Osadolor as his successor.
He said the political class in the country would bear the consequences of the mass exodus of Nigerian youths abroad because of the failure to provide an enabling environment.
The NYPF former president lamented that many young Nigerians who seek greener pastures abroad endanger their lives following illegal routes.
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“Up to 75 percent of those who find themselves stuck up in the Mediterranean Sea are Nigerians,” Siasia said.
He blamed the rising case of cybercrime known as “yahoo yahoo” on the absence of a sustainable economic plan for the young people.
Siasia further stressed that young people form the bulk of those projecting Nigeria’s image and improving the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
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He noted that in its 10 years of existence, the NYPF has spread across 15 countries, uniting over two million young people.
He added that at least 2,963 young people have been able to secure employment both at home and abroad under the platform, while 886 got access to grants to go into lucrative businesses.
He commended former President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Ifie Sekibo, former managing director of Heritage Bank, and Alex Otti, governor of Abia, and others for supporting the forum.
Speaking, Osadolor, the new NYPF president, said he would expand the forum’s sustainability goals and focus on innovation, industry and infrastructure as his goals for the young people.
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He noted that Nigeria as a developing nation cannot grow without vibrant small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).
Osadolor added that SMEs are critical to the survival of the nation.
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