Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, on Friday described Nigeria's 81 million youths as the determinant factor in the country's development.
The minister spoke at the opening session of the 'Emerging Leaders Conference' organised by Punch Newspaper in conjunction with Guardians of the Nation International, at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The theme of the conference, which had over 1,000 young people in attendance, was, "Leadership for Transformation: From Potential to Performance."
Abdul-Kadir said the large number of young people was an asset to the country, noting that they were the determinant factor in the country's development.
"As at July 2012, the population of Nigeria was put at 167 million, out of which about 81 million are within the age bracket of 18 to 35.
"The large number of young people is an asset to the nation – they will, from now, begin to be the determinant factor for the development of this country in all areas of human life, especially the economy," he said.
The minister added that President Goodluck Jonathan understood the importance of the youth to the success of his administration's transformation agenda.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Wale Aboderin, advised young Nigerians to strive to become entrepreneurs.
Expressing his passion for the youth, Aboderin said, "You have to think about being able to be an entrepreneur, even though the environment is not encouraging.
"You can start small – one step at a time. Those of you who came here have started a great thing; it is the first step in your lives because if you don't have you can't give.
"Don't give up, even when people tell you it can't work."
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, said Nigeria needed to raise a new generation of leaders.
"It is wise for us to raise a new generation of leaders that will see Nigeria as entering a time of glory under them," he said.
Igali noted that Nigeria is blessed with an abundance of human resources.
He said, "No nation on earth is as good as Nigeria – you go to any university anywhere in the world, you will see Nigerian professors and students excelling."
President of GOTNI, the organisers of the conference, Linus Okorie, stressed the need for young people to play leading roles in national development.
The Punch