Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Barry Ndiomu has charged youths in the Niger-Delta region to engage in meaningful ventures, such as MSMEs, and do away with the entitlement mentality.
Mr Ndiomu said the community would be more habitable if the young segment of the society took conscious steps toward their personal development.
According to him, the war between Russia and Ukraine has exposed the harsh realities surrounding grains globally, hence the need to restrategise and engage in meaningful ventures.
Speaking at the Niger-Delta MSME Summit in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ndiomu said: “As young business owners, you must understand that beyond innovation, collaboration, networking, access to funds, you must also embrace discipline and mentoring from experts to succeed in non oil sectors of the economy.”
Represented by PAP’s Head of Reintegration, Musa Wilfred, he advised the youths to heighten awareness and take advantage of the inherent opportunities in agriculture to expand their businesses, rather than being over dependent on crude oil.
He restated the “mandate” of PAP which he said was “to manage the destiny of youths”, saying that the Programme has “decided to begin to reason outside the box”.
“We must understand the times and take advantage properly, map out opportunities,” Mr Ndiomu advised.
“Understand that good things don’t come easy. Know that for every height you want to attain, there is a price to pay. Young leaders must be ready and willing to pay the price,” he said.
While urging the youths to “keep a calm head”, he reminded them that “skills without character is useless”.
“You must be worthy in skill and character,” He admonished them.
