Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has appealed to unemployed youths in the country to be patient with the government of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Commenting on the rising unemployment index of young Nigerians in the last six years since Buhari came into office, Dare said economic resources were dwindling, hence, the need for patience on the part of the youths.

The minister spoke Thursday on the occasion of the International Youth Day while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by The PUNCH.

He said, “This government has tried to change the fundamentals of youth engagement to move from just merely empowering our youths to investing in them and that is the paradigm we see in the international community because our youths are investible.”

On the rising unemployment statistics, he said, “Without giving any excuses, it boils down to resources, we have seen government’s resources over time dwindle. When you also go to other countries where you find unemployment stabilise for a while, it is a collaborative effort; on the part of the government, on the part of private collaborations, working together, and international non-government organisations working together.

“On our part, you will see government trying to allocate resources, competing resources. It is a huge country, 210 million people. The youths form a large part of this population. But also, we are trying a reset that does not just emphasise certificates but skills – vocational and technical skills, that is the future of decent jobs.

“That is why the focus right now is making sure that we provide our youths with the digital skills they need to compete, even when you go out of the country as a Nigerian youth, there are digital skills you need to compete.”

“We will have to just be patient because resources are dwindling but concerted efforts are on to make sure we bring down the unemployment numbers in our country,” he added.