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    HomeNewsNigerians behind success stories of many foreign nations ---- Collins Idahosa

    Nigerians behind success stories of many foreign nations —- Collins Idahosa

    *Says they impact host countries' economy by buying their shares *As NYCN celebrates 60th anniversary in Switzerland

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    By Ishola Balogun

    The National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Europe chapter, led by Ambassador Collins Idahosa has urged the youths in the Diaspora to consolidate their stay in Europe by investing greatly in the economy in order to create jobs for other youths and also grow the home economy. Idahosa, a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Lagos, in this interview with Saturday Vanguard commended President Bola Tinubu on his initiative on the local government autonomy, just as he reflected on the activities of the council created in 1964, as well as plans to roll out the drums in celebration of 60th anniversary of the council.

     

    Excerpts:

    How does a Nigerian youth fare in Europe?

    The first thing is to be integrated into the system in Europe and this can be done by buying shares in any company that is being controlled by the government. This is another way of investing and impacting their society. As their shares grow, they will be able to recommend people to work in such organisations. This is what the Chinese are doing. In Sweden, Chinese have bigger shares because they started early to invest in shares. Today, any Chinese who is coming into any country in Europe knows where he is going to work. I expect Nigerians in the Diaspora to do the same, integrate into the system by way of making substantial impact in the economy. Those who go into all sorts of crime should desist, because crime does not pay. They should consider how they can make enduring contributions to the system positively. I initiated the idea of buying shares in one of the biggest companies, and from there we can continue to have a positive impact in the economy. Who knows, we can be the biggest shareholders in some companies and make a positive impact in the lives of other Nigerians. If you become the Chairman, you can decide to have a branch in your country, and that will create jobs for people at home. If you have more jobs for the youth, the crime rate will reduce. So, I encourage all the youth Ambassadors to also do the same. You can start small and grow with it. Many Nigerians are looking up to us to change their lives. If you don’t have a good structure, you cannot build others. But if we integrate and invest in the system, nobody will disturb any Nigerian looking for a job here. Your 10 or 20% contribution into the economy gives you and other Nigerians leverage for employment. So, it is something we can do if we come together.

    A group in the UK said recently that many Nigerian youths were becoming a nuisance after failing to get jobs that they were promised before leaving Nigeria for the UK. What is your council doing about this?

    Europe is a well organised place. Those who are desperate to leave Nigeria should also be desperate to verify which job is available for them to do. Right now, the world is a global village. Nobody lies to you about what is happening in another country. With a click on your phone, you can know what is happening around the world. Nigerians are doing well in Europe generally, but that is not to say there are no bad ones. Unfortunately, we are always hearing negative reports about them. There is no country where you won’t find Nigerians, and when it comes to African commerce, Nigeria takes 40 to 50%. So, we should not always concentrate on the negative side. If you are working and earning a salary, you will do better than anyone who is into crime. If you do your research well, you will find some bad citizens in some of these countries, so, we don’t have to dwell on the negative side of Nigerians, we should see the impact they are making in the economy of their host country.

    Tell us about the activities of the NYCN in Europe.

    The Council was created in 1964. I was privileged to be the first to be appointed to manage the youth affairs in the Europe chapter and the Diaspora in 2023. The Europe chapter of the council is just one-year-old. But we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Council in Switzerland. The occasion will attract almost all the Nigerian youth across Europe and America, including the home country. We are also expecting our leaders from Nigeria as well as individuals from around the world. Apart from our leaders from the home country, we are also expecting some eminent personalities in Europe and other parts of the world. A committee has been set up, headed by a youth ambassador in the Diaspora. The event will be held on September 21, 2024. We expect all our dignitaries to arrive by September 20, and the following day, we will have a World Press conference and lecture, which will be followed by panel discussion. On Sunday, there will be a Thanksgiving in the church before people leave for their respective countries. It is not sponsored by anybody other than the youth themselves, who have been contributing to the success of this programme.

    READ ALSO: Bowen varsity celebrates decade of nurturing talents

    What has the council done in the area of capacity building, empowerment, and skill acquisition to make the youth, especially the jobless, self-reliant?

    We have been able to build the necessary structures for development. After about one year in office, we are now in 23 countries in Europe. We have succeeded in collaborating with Cambridge University, as well as other educational institutions and corporate organisations. We have advised our compatriots to integrate into the system by learning one or two skills that will give them jobs and get more knowledge to enable them perform better. Our youths are well coordinated now, and with the networking activities, we are laying the foundation for a reliable system.

    What are the challenges facing the council in Europe?

    We are currently in 32 countries, and the ambassadors in those countries are doing well. We don’t have anyone giving us funds, we are running all our activities from our pockets. If we had the government aid and grants, we would have gone a long way. But we just have to start from somewhere. We also appeal to the embassies in all these countries to collaborate with the youth leaders. They are the ones on the streets, monitoring the activities of these young Nigerians in those countries. They know them better; their mission is to guide Nigerians in that country. It is not out of place to call them for meetings on any issue affecting the youth; they should seek their views and comments. This will help in policy formulation because the government would have known their challenges. The majority of the students in Europe are Nigerians, and after their graduation, they don’t want to return to their home country. The NYCN primary objective is to identify and recommend talents for national development. We know the great engineers, ICT experts, and other successful professionals among them. Nigerians have great potential; some of them are behind the success stories of some of these countries. Among those who are doing well, only about two percent of them return home. Nigerians are among some of the few who are making the economy of their host countries strong. So, if the government does not know about these great potentials in them, how would they apply those talents for national development? With the knowledge and potential they have, they can contribute meaningfully to the economic development of Nigeria. So, NYCN is the bridge between the government and the youth. I have no doubt that we can develop our country together and make it great.

    How will you assess President Tinubu’s government?

    The recently approved local government autonomy is a welcome development that will develop the grassroots. Once the people from the grassroots feel the presence and impact of government, there will be less agitation. In fact, the Japa syndrome you mentioned earlier will be reduced. Once the local governments control their resources, they should be able to create jobs and affect the lives of the people in their area. But then, the right people must be allowed to manage their local government, and people in that local government can ask questions on how their resources are put to use. Apart from the fact that it gives the grassroots a sense of democracy and self-rule, it promotes good governance from the grassroots. Once they have good people who can manage their affairs, in terms of creating jobs at the local level, building roads, and prompt payment of salaries, there will be development at the grassroots, which will also get to the larger society.

     

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