‘Probe N2.1bn Youth Ministry Programme’

                         A non-profit organisation, YouthhubAfrica, has stated that no youth benefitted from the N2.1bn Junior Professional Officers Programme initiated by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, in 2013.
It, therefore, asked the Federal Government to probe how the budget for the programme was spent, stressing that no youth benefitted from the initiative which was meant to empower beneficiaries.


The Executive Director of YouthhubAfrica, Rotimi Olawale, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noted that the programme involves deployment of 37 young Nigerian professionals (one from each state and the Federal Capital Territory) to work with the United Nations in several locations around the world and gain invaluable professional experiences.
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The statement read, “YouthhubAfrica noted that despite the N2.1bn set aside for the project in the 2013 and 2014 budget of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, no young Nigerian has benefitted from the project till date.

“More worrisome is the claim of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in a response to a Freedom of Information request sent by YouthhubAfrica that it is still in the process of actualising the programme, despite the fact that there are no budgetary provisions for it in the 2015 budget.”

According to the organisation, while it is commendable that Nigeria is the only African country, out of over 20 countries, that have signed on to the UN JPO programme, it is not befitting that the plan exists only on paper.

The group said it was convinced that the JPO held a huge potential to create a corps of young professionals, and therefore, recommended that the budget be inserted into the 2015 Supplementary Budget.

It also asked the FMoYD to re-initiate conversation with the UNDP to bring the programme to light.

“We will continue to engage with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the National Assembly, the UN System in Nigeria and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the project is completed, while continuing to monitor the programmes and policies of the government targeted at young people,” YouthhubAfrica stated.

The ministry could not be reached for comment on how the budget for the programme was spent, as its information officer, Janet Garba, did not respond to calls made to her phone. She also did not reply a text message that was sent to her.