Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Friday, reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s determination to address, support and empower more Nigerian youths to excel in their chosen careers.

Mr Shettima said this when he received the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth wing, led by the party’s national youth leader, Dayo Israel, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said Mr Tinubu holds Nigerian youths in high esteem, adding that his commitment was evident in his appointments and the administration’s policies and initiatives.

Mr Shettima said some of the initiatives are the Youth Investment Fund, Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises Program (iDICE) programme, and the National Youth Development Bank.

He added that apart from addressing genuine concerns affecting the youths, the administration’s focus on young persons was premised on the trust and confidence Tinubu has in them.

He explained that “the youths are the lifeblood of any nation and Mr President acknowledges this fact.

“I want to assure you that President Bola Tinubu has the best interest of the youths at heart.

“Tinubu has demonstrated this in most of the programmes that this administration is doing and has undertaken to do.”

The vice-president further expressed confidence in the ability of the present administration to address all concerns raised across different quarters.

He appealed for more time for the government’s plans and programmes to begin to manifest and commended the leadership of the APC youth wing for their commitment and patience.

Mr Shettima assured that all the group’s requests would be addressed in due course.

Earlier, the APC national youth leader had thanked the vice-president “for the love and commitment to the affairs of young people in the country.”

He said the visit was to express solidarity with the government.

He informed Mr Shettima of the body’s programmes aimed at engaging youths in the country, regardless of their socio-political backgrounds.

According to him, the APC youth wing has developed a four-year strategic plan to help young Nigerians to understand and overcome challenges.

The plan, he said, would also help the younger generation to harness opportunities across diverse fields within and outside the country.

He listed the Enterprise-Skills Development Training (EDET) Programme, Workplace Readiness and Employability Skills Training Programme (WREST-P), among others, as some of the initiatives to engage youths across the country.

Mr Israel also requested the presence of the vice-president at the forthcoming Progressive Youth Leadership Summit with the theme “Shaping the Future We Want: Restiveness, Inclusion, Development, Action.”

 (NAN)