Impressed by Nigerian youths’ innovations, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Agboola Dabiri, has described them as resourceful and the nation’s bulwark.
“The youth are resourceful and there is need to give them support, Lagos State Administration does not underrate any youth because we know they are the future.
“I advise the youth to work harder and think outside the box, invest in whatever they have passion for and build on it,” he said.
The commissioner spoke in Lagos at the launch of Nigeria’s first 3D civic mobile game by an NGO, Youth Alive Foundation (YAF).
The mobile game, the first in Nigeria is entitled, “Your Excellency”, and it is an adventure civic mobile game app, a learning tool for young people on governance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports YAF is a non-profitable civil society organization established in 2002 with the aim of redefining the roles and contributions of the Nigerian youth in the governance and development process.
Dabiri lauded the innovation and urged the youth to make good use of it.
On the 2019 polls, he urged youths to shun political violence or any form of violence and vote right candidates.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of YAF, Mrs Uduak Okon, said the game launch became imperative following the signing into law the “Not-too-young-to-run-bill ” by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Young people do not really know the rudiments of good governance, this game will equip them with the civic capacity to engage governance effectively and building their leadership skills.
“With the new Act, we want to know if the youths are ready to run and that is why we are doing our own beat to educate, empower and inform the youth.
“We want to encourage the youth to do something in governance and implement positive changes in their society,” she said.
She said the game app will help youths to understand their civic rights as citizens and seek to build their civic capacities to engage in governance.
Okon disclosed that the game was produced by YAF with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Innovation Spread the Word Fund (ISWF).
Also speaking at the event, a representative of USAID, Mr Charles Abani, said Nigeria could only develop through transparency, accountability and good governance.
“For things to change, young people need to be more involved and interested in politics.
“We supported YAF because a youth has come up with a brilliant idea of this “Your Excellency ” of digital gaming as a means of getting young people involved and engaging effectively in governance,” he said. (NAN)