The Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim, has appealed to youths to reconsider their plan to embark on a 10-day protest from August 1, stressing that President Bola Tinubu needs peace to address the nation’s challenges and achieve his mandate.

Ms Ibrahim made the appeal in Abuja when members of the newly constituted National Students Management Council (NSMC) visited her. Sunday Asefon, the senior special assistant to the president, led the group as the chairman.

The youth minister said the country needed peace and stability to achieve its mandate.

”Government is already addressing these issues. The economic hardships that we are facing today are not limited to Nigeria. Since COVID-19 struck, the global economy has not quite recovered,” she said.

Ms Ibrahim said that students remain at the core of the nation’s development and are key to the ministry’s activities. She said the quality of the students at all levels of education in the country determined the nation’s strength in the formal or informal sector.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to the welfare of students, saying President Bola Tinubu’s government has enunciated various programmes to address the needs of the students.

“The student loan scheme is one of the profound policies in that direction. The ministry will work with the council in mainstreaming issues of youth and students in the country,” she said.

According to her, Mr Tinubu has approved the establishment of a youth development bank and said that the bank would take care of young people who want to become entrepreneurs.

She said that such would bridge the gap in accessing funds.

According to her, the centres will be in partnership with the private sector for effective service delivery and sustainability.

(NAN)