By Our Correspondent<\/p>\n
In a bid tackle jobless in the state,government of Cross River State has declared a fresh war against youth unemployment, rolling out a robust framework designed to create sustainable jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and life-changing skills for young people across the state.<\/p>\n
This was made known on Monday by the Commissioner for Youth Development, Barr. Odum Ijom Ukam, during a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Calabar.<\/p>\n
Ukam, who was flanked by top officials of the ministry and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Cross River State Council, used the occasion to unveil the activities lined up for the 2026 International Youth Day.<\/p>\n
Our correspondent gathered that the 2026 celebration, themed \u201cDifferent Contexts, Common Aspirations,\u201d is poised to redefine the narrative of youth engagement in the state, moving from mere rhetoric to concrete action plans.<\/p>\n
According to the Commissioner, the theme is a clarion call that resonates with the shared dreams of youths for employment, dignity, social inclusion, skills acquisition, innovation, and active participation in governance.<\/p>\n
The Commissioner lamented the multifarious challenges bedevilling the youth population, including soaring unemployment rates, underemployment, poor access to finance, digital exclusion, and a glaring mismatch between acquired skills and market demands.<\/p>\n
He stressed that these obstacles are too complex for the government to tackle alone, hence the urgent need for a coalition of willing partners from the private sector, development agencies, and civil society.<\/p>\n
In a passionate appeal, Ukam said, \u201cGovernment cannot and should not do it alone. The task of nurturing our youth is a collective responsibility that must be shared by all stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Commissioner further stated that youth development requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, involving government at all levels, development partners, the private sector, civil society, academia, and community leaders.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the ministry has already identified the Nigerian Jubilee Fellowship Programme as a veritable platform to provide young Nigerians with practical, hands-on experience through structured internships in modern workplaces.<\/p>\n
Ukam stressed that this initiative would bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making Cross River youths more competitive in the global job market.<\/p>\n
He, however, called for a paradigm shift in the way young people are engaged in governance, insisting that their involvement must transcend the mere ceremonial attendance at official events.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment also wants young people to have a voice beyond attendance at official programmes,\u201d the Commissioner asserted, adding that youths must be integrated into the conception, design, implementation, and evaluation of policies meant for them.<\/p>\n
He promised that the forthcoming International Youth Day activities will provide a vibrant platform for youths to showcase their businesses, creativity, technological innovations, and invaluable contributions to their communities.<\/p>\n
The Commissioner also made a direct appeal to private capital, urging investors to see the youth as a viable and lucrative investment, not a liability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe appeal to private investors, financial institutions, technology companies and development partners to support youth-led enterprises, provide internships and apprenticeships, expand digital opportunities and invest in programmes capable of producing lasting results,\u201d he pleaded.<\/p>\n
Ukam further disclosed that the ministry\u2019s new framework will focus intensely on skills utilisation, employment generation, entrepreneurship development, and fostering a culture of innovation and participation.<\/p>\n
He assured that these interventions would be evenly spread across the 18 local government areas of the state, ensuring that no community is left behind in the march towards economic prosperity.<\/p>\n
The Commissioner urged Cross River youths to take their destiny in their own hands by acquiring relevant skills, building robust networks, and embracing a spirit of volunteerism and community service.<\/p>\n
He reassured them of the government\u2019s resolved to working with critical partners to guarantee that every young person is carried along in the state\u2019s developmental agenda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent In a bid tackle jobless in the state,government of Cross River State has declared a fresh war against youth unemployment, rolling out a robust framework designed to create sustainable jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and life-changing skills for young people across the state. This was made known on Monday by the Commissioner for Youth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16529,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16527\/revisions\/16529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}