Shettima Launches Secretariat for Nationwide Youth Initiative
Vice President Kassim Shettima officially inaugurated the Vice Presidents Generation Unlimited (OVP-GenU) Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, marking a significant step towards implementing the initiative’s nationwide activities.
The GenU Nigeria initiative, spearheaded by UNICEF, aims to forge a public-private youth partnership (PPYP) that connects 20 million young Nigerians with education, skills, and livelihood opportunities by the year 2030.
During the inauguration, Shettima emphasized that the Secretariat will play a crucial role in accelerating program implementation and enhancing partnerships across various government agencies. Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hassan Hadeziah, he noted that the Secretariat’s establishment will enable skills to be tailored more effectively to meet the community and industry needs through a transparent and accessible process.
Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, applauded the collaboration among stakeholders that made the initiative’s launch possible. He remarked that the framework aligns well with the Renewable Hopeful Areas Development Program (RHWDP), and expressed the ministry’s commitment to advancing the GenU program. Bagudu highlighted that this initiative plays a vital role in accelerating the federal government’s efforts to revitalize the economy across 8,809 constituencies nationwide.
Professor Suwaiba Saidu Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, also lauded the initiative and the contributions of development partners. He underscored that the Vice President’s vision would provide strategic direction for the Secretariat’s objectives. Ahmad reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s support for the GenU program, particularly in implementing the Skills Census, which will guide vocational and skills training plans.
Wafa Saeed Abdellatef, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, welcomed the establishment of the Secretariat, viewing it as a testament to the Nigerian Government’s dedication to youth welfare. He expressed gratitude for the Federal Government’s backing of the program and acknowledged Nigeria’s leadership role in enhancing job creation across the continent.
In their remarks, both the Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Mr. Temitra Adekunle-Johnson, and the Secretariat Coordinator, Mr. Rimamusukeb Nuhu, outlined the opportunities for leveraging existing government initiatives to combat youth unemployment. Adekunle-Johnson specifically reassured stakeholders of utilizing the National MSME Clinic’s network to deepen skill acquisition across diverse sectors.
Finally, Nouf urged key stakeholders to contribute towards the success of the project, emphasizing the need for two essential commitments from the represented ministries. First, he requested full support for the forthcoming National Skills Census, which will serve as the definitive source for skills intelligence under the National Skills Council. Secondly, he called for formal representation from the respective ministries within the Secretariat, asserting that such an embedded ministerial focus would bolster inter-ministerial coordination and ensure the sustainability of the initiative.
