ActionAid Nigeria has called for the establishment and implementation of policies that would encourage Youths to engage in Agriculture through increased budgetary allocation and creating an enabling environment for the sector to thrive.
Mr. Anicetus Atakpu, Resillience Programme Coordinator with ActionAid, Team Lead of the SARVE 11 Project, made the disclosure at the 2021 Youth Summit on Preventing Violent Extremism in Kogi State, with the theme: Youth Innovation in Peace Building Through Climate Change Mitigation. The Summit is In commemoration of the 2021 International Youth Day.
ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), held the Youth Summit under the “System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF).
Mr. Anicetus described unemployment as a critical factor that fuels violent extremism, pointed out that Government’s proactiveness in creating and implementing policies that would encourage young people engage in agricultural practices, through conducive environment that allows for innovation, remains the Panacea to reducing the unemployment gap in the country.
The Resillience Programme Coordinator
described Agriculture as the Nation’s economic mainstay if given the necessary support, pointed out the sector has the capacity to reduce unemployment, poverty and preventing Violent extremism if well harness.
Mr. Anicetus urged for Youth engagements in Agriculture towards addressing restiveness, pointed out that it is an integral part of preventing violent extremism, explained that the UNSCR 2250 charter of 2013 called 10% budgetary allocation for the Agricultural sector, emphasizes youth involvement and participation in Peace building processes using Agriculture.
While urging the youths to desire to be enterprising and innovative using Agriculture, Mr. Anicetus said the widening unemployment gap, absence of white collar jobs, anti social vices and preventing violent extremism would be better addressed if the enabling environment is created for Agriculture to thrive in the country.
The youths Mr. Anicetus further explained would with better engagement in Agriculture, remain relevant as well as beat the widening gap of employment that has become a major challenge facing the country, as well as also being more involved in issues of job creation and food security.
In a remarks at the summit, the Council Chairman of Kogi Local Government, Hon. Isah Abdulkareem, described Youth engagement in Agriculture as cardinal if the issues of unemployment gap in the country must be tackled, said his administration has not only created farms for youths, it has equally assisted them with four tractors to encourage their participation.
Similarly, the Chairman, National Youth Council, Kogi Local Government Chapter, Comr. Isah Abubakar Adah Abu, lauded the Initiatives of Actionaid Nigeria, expressed optimism that the agricultural sector, with the right environment created, has the propensity to check unemployment, Youth restiveness, and gainfully engage youths of the area.
Earlier, the Resource Person at the Summit, Hajia Zainab Musa, described Kogi LGA as largely an agrarian area in nature, urged the youths to begin to think about farming and fishing as a way out of the unemployment crisis bedeviling the country.
She urged the youths to seek ideas and to be innovative in ideas that would ensure that using modern technology and new method of farming engage in farming activities.
She described farming as the most lucrative venture for all time and seasons, urged them to seek for new method of farming that would seek to protect the environment and the ecosystem as apt.
She described farming as the most attractive profession and venture now in view of the need to increase food sufficiency and provide gainful employment to teeming graduates roaming the streets.
Some participants at the summit, Khalid Mohammed and Aisha Musa, described the summit as an idea that has come at a better time, said it has encouraged them to be conscious of going into farming and to be innovative.
The participants commended Actionaid Nigeria for the initiative, assured that it would propel them to think about farming and work towards efforts to stay away from issues that would lead to violent extremism.
The Actionaid Nigeria Youth Summit aims at reducing the vulnerability of at-risk young men and women to conflict and radicalization, in 12 communities of 6 LGAs, Kogi State.
This Youth Summit held simultaneously in all 12 SARVE II project communities in Kogi State, namely: Ugbedomagwu, Ujagba, Tajimi, Ette, Koton-Karfe, Osisi, Osaragada/Aku, Inata, Ukowa, Emekutu and Abache, in Lokoja, Okehi, Adavi, Ankpa, Igalamela-Odolu, Kogi-Koto LGAs.