Buhari Praises Nigerian Youths' Contributions To Credible Elections

BEVERLY HILLS, August 12, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Abuja praised the contributions of Nigerian youths to the outcome of the 2015 elections.

President Buhari, who was speaking on the occasion of the 2015 International Youth Day, commended Nigerian youths for the significant role they played in making the 2015 elections “a model for democratic governance in Africa.”

The President, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said he was very concerned, however, that economic growth in Nigeria has not translated into “commensurate and improved social outcomes, especially for our 60 million young people who make up the majority of the population”.

President Buhari noted that “although educational attainment by Nigerian youth has increased significantly in the last decade, the relevance of curricula, quality of education and skills required to meet the demands of the job market still remains a challenge for the country.”

The President assured Nigerian youths that his administration “is poised to provide an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive so as to ensure greater opportunities for jobs to be created for our young people.”

He said that his government was also determined to provide adequate infrastructure to boost the ability of “our job creation institutions to increase opportunities for our young people.”

Apart from paying special attention to the growth of small and medium scale enterprises, the President said his administration would also explore the option of boosting intervention funds to encourage domestic industrialisation and manufacturing.

President Buhari reaffirmed the commitment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to fulfilling its campaign promises to Nigerian youth.

“Change for us is not a mere political slogan, but the beginning of a new era desired by the majority of Nigerians,” the President assured.