The lack of innovative concepts and creativity has been identified as the rationale for the decline in transformational living amongst young people in Nigeria.

This observation was made by the Rivers State  Commissioner for Youth Development, Prince Ohia, as well as other critical stakeholders during a One-Day Sensitization Campaign with the theme: Transforming Food System: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health” organised by the Ken Idehen Innovation Institute (KII Institute) in Port Harcourt on Saturday, August 21, 2021.

Describing the event as a medium for creating awareness and platform for youths to be heard, the Honourable Commissioner for Youth Development stressed that the time for youths to be economically self-reliant and contributory to societal development had come.

 Represented by Samuel Miebaka, Ohia said “we are here to celebrate the youths, because they are the leaders of tomorrow. This will go a long way to re-focus or re-channel their energy, their thinking into meaningful ventures that would be productive, that will make them at the end of the day to be self-reliant contributing meaningfully to the development of the society at large.”

Also speaking, an Environmental Analyst and Leadership Expert, Emmanuel Olowo laid emphasis on how environmental sustainability was the key to economic survival.

“A healthy and sustainable environment is a foundation of an equitable functioning society, and the basis of prosperity and security”.

Olowo blamed the climate crisis currently being experienced by the world and Nigeria in particular on complacency and sheer negligence of youths who have the voice, number and creativity to save the day.

 “The youths are the future generation, and they are amongst the persons who are the custodians of our way of life. If we must sustain our environment, everyone and importantly the youths, the young hearts, must rise up to the occasion of the challenges that is been faced in this present time”.

For her part, the Founder of KII Institute Gloria Ken-Idehen, while explaining that the NGO was about capacity development which is an inevitable prerequisite for nation building, congratulated the institute for the remarkable heights it had attained since its birth, calling for more support to expand the scope of the group.

“We are celebrating International Youth Day 2021, we do this every year but for the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not do last year. We believe that people are the real essence of any nation’s survival and if we develop the people of a nation, no matter how large they are, it could add to economic growth”.

The Ken Idehen Innovative Institute which is known for its far reaching societal impact in Nigeria, has been investing mainly on youths and women oriented schemes, a strategy the NGO belives will fast track nation building.