COVID-19: Amb. Shehu Ibrahim Wants Young People Included on Decision Making Table

COVID-19: Amb. Shehu Ibrahim Wants Young People Included on Decision Making Table

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By Abdulyekeen Ayinde Rilwan

National Coordinator - NIGERIA YOUTH ADVOCACY FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE (NYAGGI); Amb Shehu Ibrahim has charged government on the need to include the young people in all aspects of decision making during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Shehu made this charge on Friday, during a webinar dialogue on the Impact of Covid-19 on Youths and the New Normal, organized by the Track Covid-19 Fund; a project of ActionAid (through its youth organ, ACTIVISTA) and CODE

Speaking to young people across Nigeria at the webinar dialogue on how government has not carried the young people along during this Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Shehu observed that young people have played significant roles in the fight against Covid19.

“They have been in the front line advocating and creating awareness on the preventive and precautionary measure to curtail and contain the Virus from spreading through social media and obeying the guideline of stay at home and social distancing”, Mr. Shehu explained.

While engaging participants on the Impact Covid-19 has made on the lives of the young ones and how to overcome the challenges and fit into the New Normal, Amb. Shehu highlighted the following:

COVID-19: Shehu Ibrahim Wants Young People Included on Decision Making Table;

1. Government should strengthen and build young people resilience for MSMEs to overcome future shocks

2. Government should step up efforts to help MSMEs go digital

3. There should be a National Response Unit to include young people in the recovering

4. There should Statutory digital citizenship for young people to enable them adapt to the new Normal through digital platform for learning

5. Government should provide soft loans with zero collateral for MSMEs to enable them run their business as the pandemic affected their businesses

6. There should be education programming that will provide young people with digital literacy skills to equip with them to overcome future shocks

7. Youth innovative response on Covid-19 should be an integral part to fight against Covid19

8. Government should set up youth recovery fund with stimulus packages and subside good and services for the youth in the informal sector