Elumelu enjoins Nigerians to lift youths out of poverty

• Bags honorary doctorate degree

Chairman, UBA Group, Tony Elumelu has charged stakeholders to act collectively towards lifting Nigerian youths from poverty to prosperity.

Elumelu emphasised the importance of collaboration between the public and private sector to create more jobs on the continent. He made the call while receiving an Honorary Doctor of Business (Hon D.B) degree by the Bayero University Kano.

According to him: “Our young people need jobs that governments and big corporates alone cannot provide. By promoting entrepreneurship, creating favourable policies and building infrastructure to help these entrepreneurs, we enable them to create jobs, and become employers of labour.”

Elumelu commended the declaration made by the President Buhari to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.He said that job creation and entrepreneurship would help to achieve the goal.

Elumelu, the founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation said: “There are a variety of ways to lift 100 million citizens from poverty, but two stand out. We can increase the number of jobs in the economy or we can create more opportunities for our young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into small businesses that employ labour.”

Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello said Elumelu’s conferment was in honour of his immense contribution to human capital development across Africa and especially in Northern Nigeria

Also, Dean, School of Postgraduate studies, Bayero University, Professor Umar Pate commended Elumelu’s commitment to lifting young Africans out of poverty.