Speaker Seeks For Safety Nets For Youths As Discount Card Debut

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has called for the provision of safety nets for Nigerian youths in order to cushion the effect of economic hardships currently facing the country.

According to him, when the teeming youths of the country are assured of sustained assistance through their education years, restiveness and other crimes would naturally reduce drastically.

Dogara spoke yesterday in Abuja while unveiling the Nigerian Students and Youth Corps Members Discount Card (NSYCDC).

Represented by the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Pally Iriase, the Speaker also noted that it has become expedient for Nigerians to be innovative if the country want to catch up with other developed nations.

“Nobody need be told how harsh the economic situation is any longer because it is very obvious in most families. With our mono economy that is dependent on oil, coupled with the tumbling oil price, we need to ask ourselves how long are we going to depend on the unstable oil price?

“I am not a supporter of quick fix solution, I think what we need to do is to redirect our economy. That is why I commend the this innovative platform that is offering a new lease of life for our students and youth corpers.

“If they have to think less of their economic and social needs, I think they would be able to concentrate more on their studies and by extension, how to move the country forward, technologically and economically.

“The implication of this is that crime and other forms of criminality would be drastically reduced since the youth have better things to do with their time,” Dogara said.

While encouraging all Nigerian youths to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by the platform, Dogara urged other corporate organizations to partner the platform to enable the students and serving corps members enjoy their services at discounted rates.

For his part, a consultant to the platform, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, said the novel project was to make life more tolerable for the Nigerian youths that are facing shrinking financial resources.

Daramola, who is a former member of the House of Representatives, added that with the platform, users can get more with the little resources at their disposal with discount on goods and services ranging from one to 50 percent.

According to him, students and youths in the United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canada, Germany, Kenya and Ghana among several other country have been enjoying similar platform for more than three decades.

The National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC), secretary of the Committee of Vice Chancellors, Adigun Abiola and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) while endorsing the discount card urged the youth not to abuse it with frivolous spending.

Source: 

http://www.leadership.ng/news/511089/dogara-advocates-safety-nets-youths-discount-card-debut