Sustainable production can eradicate poverty

BY BAMIKOLE OMISHORE

Without doubt, we all are familiar with the theme of the #IYD2016 which is: ‘ROAD TO 2030: ERADICATING POVERTY AND ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION’. I will tilt my speech towards eradicating poverty and achieving sustainability in production and consumption as it affects civic leadership. 

The International Youth Day reminds us of the indispensable role that youths play in national development of countries all over the world and for our country, Nigeria, where youths form over 40% of our population, the leading role of youths to drive the desired change by confidently taking responsibilities towards our growth and development cannot be overemphasized. The Nigerian Youth has to grabble with choices and actions to drive the needed socioeconomic development that meet the basic needs of the society and challenge its leaders to embrace them as prospective leaders of the future, which is now.

Nonetheless, we do not mark this event just for the glamour but also to remind our youths to join hands with our leaders across all levels to safeguard the future generation by building the communities we want to see in the nearest future by adopting the clarion call of sustainable development goals to help transform Nigeria and the world at large. In the Nigerian youth lie an enormous storehouse of talents and abilities and as the Youths are the hope of our future; now is the time to embrace our talents and awaken our entrepreneurial spirit. It is time to indeed as the young men and women of the moment take it as a duty to restore sanity into socio – political system of the Country by re – inventing our innovative capabilities, thinking outside the box and investing our young lives into long term solutions that will grow over and stand the test of time.

We need to move beyond the crazy scramble for white collar jobs, which can no longer sustain us as a nation, with young people making waves in agriculture and agro – allied enterprises. We must brace up to ask ourselves pertinent questions like why do we have to keep importing things like toothpick and cassava despite local production comparative advantage? We need to go back to the era of groundnut pyramids in the North and cocoa plantations of Ife and other regions in the South. We must focus on incorporating vocational and technical training at all levels of our educational system for the best skill set to survive in an emerging world and as well as learn the rudiments of business towards accessing soft loans and public private partnerships. Personally, I won’t hesitate to introduce those who have genuine interest in agriculture to a few friends who have led the path in the industry.

The leadership of the National Assembly under Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has consistently shown keen interest towards adopting policies and laws that will ensure overall development for young Nigerians in the areas of economic growth, education, infrastructure and innovations, improved healthcare and wellbeing, climate change and gender equality. The 8^th Senate through its legislative agenda has focused on working and reworking laws with the interest of the youth at heart; laws such as the anti – sexual harassment bill, the railway amendment bill, the agricultural credit guarantee scheme bill, the Nigerian Peace Corp (Establishment) Bill, as well as several motions on the provision of proper education and the protection of women’ and girls’ rights are different examples.

I am particularly delighted at the opportunities the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Bill will provide for Nigerian youths when signed into law, such as providing guaranteed loans for agricultural purposes, this scheme will also help to lower interest rate to single digits to farmers. The more funding we can get to farmers, the better the quality of our farm output, with the sets of innovative young Nigerians we have, with the funds getting to the right people, we can be sure to achieve goal one and goal two of SDG 17 in record time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we must choose our paths carefully and follow them tenaciously. We must focus on learning more from the great wealth of experience of those before us while also laying a strong, solid foundation for those coming behind us. The responsibility on the shoulders of many young people towards eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable consumption, production and development will involve breaking the barriers of hunger and lack towards leading a life of impact, significance and influence. I will like us to leave here today with the quote by Vince Lombardi. “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile”

Thank you.

Excerpts of the speech which Omishore, special assistant on new media to Senate President Bukola Saraki, delivered at the Osun Youth Summit in commemoration of the 2016 International Youth Day