EARTH DAY ‘THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE’

Mother earth has provided us for billions of years with comfort and prolific space to live in. Considering the multitude of beauty and benefits rendered to us, it is distressing to know the current contribution that the society is almost nothing in repayment. Instead, we were and continue to be agents to many challenges by engaging in pollution, deforestation and other forms of degradation. We all need to ask ourselves a question, “How far can SHE endure?”

In light of the current environment situation, for this year’s Earth Day, we at the World Assembly of Youth (WAY) are observing the carefully selected theme “The Face of Climate Change” which aims to highlight the devastating impact that we face nowadays. We strongly believe the time has come to call to an end, all actions which demean and ruin our mother earth, our future. We should seize playing the blame game and unite to take responsibility by increasing efforts of raising awareness; taking initiative by promoting environmental preservation; and rectifying the wrongs of our ancestors by shaping the minds of the next generations.

Over the years, we have vested our efforts towards integrating and implementing several programs, principles and policies related to environment towards achieving a sustainable development.  Our efforts and aspirations have been guided by our second and third Millennium Plan of Actions. It is of grave importance to create a sense of responsibility, for current and future generations, to enjoy sufficient resources, while generating a new social contract that places the planet at its center.

Hence, we urge youth and youth leaders worldwide to build their sense of optimism and efforts towards transitioning communities rapidly to become sustainable societies of responsible governance. We believe that with the support of an engaged people, these sustainable societies will be able to assure the elimination of relevant issues related to climate change.

Several frameworks have been created through various world class initiatives and now it is time for us to join and continue the exertion of such lay outs as keepers of mother earth. For change to take place urgently, it has to start somewhere and by someone. We are empowered people therefore we should commit to take daily action towards environment conservation and preservation, as it will be cherished by current and future generations.

We owe a great deal to mother earth; for every bright and beautiful day, every intake of breath, and every fruit and vegetable she produces for us.  We call for all the youth and youth leaders around the world to be involved in implementing the existing frameworks to curb human-caused climate change well within manageable dimensions; you are the future safe keepers of the earth!

THE JOB CREATION QUESTION

Small and medium scale businesses anywhere in the world serve as a very potent force for job creation, poverty alleviation and overall healthy economic growth. In the last 26 years, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has championed the cause of mass job creation through skill acquisition in the areas of vocation, agriculture, entrepreneurship and business  as well as transient job opportunities. As at the end of 2011, over three million unemployed persons have been put to gainful employment by the body through the various programmes. The achievements are attributed to prudent management of resources.

With the advent of oil economy in Nigeria, there has been a systematic abandonment of the agricultural sector through rural-urban drift in search of paid employment which today is almost non-existent. In a bid to awaken the interest of unemployed youths in agriculture and to exploit the tremendous opportunities for employment and wealth creation in the agriculture sector and, consequently, stem the rural-urban drift, the NDE designed training programmes for youths in agriculture. The programme focuses on modern agricultural practices in crop production, crop processing and preservation, livestock production and management and other agro-allied ventures. This is handled under the Rural Agricultural Development Training Scheme (RADTS) at Agricultural Skills Training Centers (ASTC’s) which are established in almost all the states of the federation and Abuja.

The NDE also uses a time- tested systematic process in the creation of new micro enterprises. Through sound entrepreneurship training such as Start Your Own Business training (SYOB), Improve Your Business (IYB) and facilitation of access to soft loans, beneficiaries are ushered into the new world of personal enterprise and are also assisted to remain afloat. Pursuant to her drive to provide capital for these budding businessmen and women, NDE has collaborated with such credit granting institutions like NCRDB, now known as Bank of Agriculture (BOA), NEXIM and NERFUND for start up capital for her beneficiaries.

The Directorate, apart from its regular programmes, introduced new ones targeted at addressing the immediate needs of the economy and supporting the micro-economic policies of the Federal Government. Recently, the NDE launched some job creation schemes in support of the cash-less economy initiative of  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It floated the Qik-Qik and Easy-Biz Business Ownership Schemes  to create employment opportunities for  graduates on the cashless economy platform. The two schemes operate as a suite of services manned by young and well trained Nigerians who offer services on a cash-less basis ranging from air time vending to cash transfers, airline ticket bookings and lottery.

Over the years, the NDE has assisted young Nigerians to become self-employed in diverse fields while equally supporting the new businesses thus created. Micro business concerns created by the NDE have enjoyed the privilege of exposure to world class business platforms. The body’s  beneficiaries are regular participants/exhibitors at the three major international trade fairs in Nigeria namely: Kaduna, Enugu and Lagos International Trade Fairs.

It buys an entire pavilion and allows its beneficiaries to exhibit their goods and services therein at no cost to them. This way, the beneficiaries are able to rub shoulders with already established businesses. In the last two years, NDE has organised her own home-grown trade fairs designed specifically for her programme beneficiaries in order to stimulate commerce at the grassroots through what it calls ‘’NDE Zonal Domestic Trade Fairs’’.

The challenges notwithstanding, the Directorate has  vigorously pursued its mandate of mass job creation through collaboration with stakeholders such as National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Office of the Vice President, Office of the First Lady, the National Assembly, NGOs, faith and community based organizations.

Culled from:Vanguard

ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: ‘A BEAUTY OF DIFFERENCES'

Take a second; Imagine the world is black and white! Visualize all flowers share one common color, all food one taste, and all music one tune. To picture this, is to envision a world with no beauty or splendor, a world without different shapes, colors or sizes. A similar synopsis may be directly applied to a civilization that celebrates differences in race, color or creed; a civilization that holds one demographic in higher regard than another. Now, suppose for a second, you are playing by a set of rules that determine right or wrong, good or bad, grounded on where you are from, or the color of your skin, a world that is racially discriminated.

International Day for The Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a commemorated obligation of the international community to work on disputes and eliminate any acts of racial discrimination. Sadly, fifty-three years since its initiation, racial and ethnic discrimination still occur in our daily lives. The root to racial discrimination is often ethnic hatred, which in its extremities may drive one, to disregard the basic human principles that today govern society and social interaction. To have such judgments among society is to have a constant threat, to the very fabric of civilization, and social cohesion.

Abraham J. Heschel once referred racism as a gravest threat to man; the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason. It is disgraceful to witness civilized people like us, divided into different groups as opposed to unifying into one big family and agreeing in one concept of having only one race, the human race!

This year, in light of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, United Nations selected the theme of ‘Racism and Sport’. This theme was designated based on the intent to combat racism and discrimination, through sport. The various sports today are seen as an international center-stage for racial interaction, and to combat discrimination on this scale is to set an example for the millions of viewers and supporters all over the world, which is essentially, to tackle the issue on a global scale.

In light of this matter, we at the World Assembly of Youth (WAY), believe that racism is not born but taught, and trust that the best way to combat the issue is to approach the concern with companionship and solidarity. At the WAY Secretariat for instance, we relish in a beauty of differences, where all personnel hail from different religious, racial, country and culture backgrounds. Despite these differences, we are blissfully united. The same beauty is depicted also in our events where youth and youth leaders come from different backgrounds, gather together to share and discuss pertinent youth issues at hand. We thus encourage you, youth and leader, to integrate and incorporate the values of respect, fairness and teamwork in your daily endeavors as well as abhor from the racial agendas within your communities.

Race, color or creed, we must all stand together and cherish the beauty of our differences!

 

Source: World Assembly of Youth (WAY)