Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that for Nigeria to achieve desired prosperity and security, there was need for genuine and deliberate investments in children and youths across the country.
This was contained in a statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, titled, ‘Every Child Counts, We Must Invest in Our Children to Guarantee Security, Prosperity- Osinbajo’ on Thursday.
Osinbajo spoke during the Stakeholders Summit of the At-Risk Children Programme, ARC-P, at the Statehouse Banquet Hall, Abuja.
According to him, the only way to guarantee the long-term peace and prosperity of our communities is to invest in our children by providing opportunities for them to thrive and be productive within their chosen paths, thereby giving them hope for a better future.
Osinbajo noted that the Federal Government has taken a multi-dimensional approach in addressing the challenges faced by the vulnerable in society, especially children and young people, nationwide, with various intervention programmes.
Speaking at the event themed ‘Last Mile interventions for the Vulnerable’, the vice president noted that the programme “is the beginning of a journey to give succour and hope to millions of vulnerable young people.”
“The ARC-P is an important component of the variety of government interventions designed to complement and support existing initiatives of the Buhari administration in dealing with the problems of vulnerable children and young people,” the vice president said.
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Osinbajo noted that the central purpose of the At-Risk Children Programme is the idea that every Nigerian child counts, noting that the ARC – P “is aimed at giving a new lease of life to millions of children, who, through no fault of theirs, have found themselves without hope or support.”
“A nation will be measured ultimately by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. We recognize that we cannot make progress as a people, while a significant population of our children – those to whom the future belongs – are left on the margins of society, deprived of the opportunity to discover and fulfill their potential,” he stated.
According to him, the programme will provide a safe space for the mentoring and training of these children, with a specific emphasis on basic literacy and numeracy, health and nutrition, entrepreneurial skills, digital skills, sports and life-skills, among other skills.
Aside from the multi-dimensional approach of the federal government in addressing these concerns, Osinbajo called for a holistic collaboration by government at all levels to produce more impact; especially since the primary, secondary education and healthcare are constitutionally state functions.
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