Obaseki charges 'Not-too-Young-to-Lead' campaigners on entrepreneurship

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged youth to remain committed in their quest to add value to the society, noting that the 'Not too Young to Lead' campaign should motivate more youth to become entrepreneurs.

Obaseki who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Special Duties, Hon. Mika Amanokha, made the submission when he received members of Today's Youth Organisation in Benin City, Edo State.

He commended youths for spear-heading the 'Not too Young to Lead" campaign, adding that the youth should take the advocacy to other spheres of the society, and not restrict the campaign to the realm of politics.

The governor said, "if we all focus on politics and political offices, at what point do we begin to build business leaders? At what point do you begin to build careers? 'Not too Young to Lead' should be all encompassing, as leadership is not just about political offices.

"You do not only become a leader by being a political office holder. If we narrow this advocacy to politics and political office alone, we will miss the point because political office holders do not make up 10 percent of the Nigerian population."

He tasked them to begin to look at successful businessmen and women and draw inspiration from how they started their ventures. He asked: "At what age did they start building their own businesses? What are the factors limiting young people from building such businesses today? What can be done to eradicate these factors?"

Obaseki noted, "If we centre our advocacy around these questions and get answers; young people with their energy, enthusiasm, innovations and resilience will become leaders in the economy, technology, arts, agriculture and so much more."

Obaseki urged youth with interest in holding political office to participate actively and ensured that they are counted in decision making process at the grassroots, and assured that "this administration will remain youth-friendly with a very significant number of young people as Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants.

National Coordinator, Today's Youths Organisation, Mr. Joseph C. Brown, commended the state government for its youth-friendly policies and the support for the group's youth skills acquisition programme.