Valentine Ozigbo, a Nigerian business leader and philanthropist, has commended the Nigerian youth for their resilience and creativity despite the harsh climate in which the world is marking the 2020 International Youth Day.
Mr Ozigbo made these remarks while hosting members of the VCO Youth Movement led by Innocent Ugwu who paid him a visit in Nteje, Oyi LGA of Anambra State on Wednesday.
According to him, the Nigerian youth has the capacity to chart a new path for the transformation of Nigeria.
“Never before has the threat and opportunities been greater for a generation of young people in Nigeria.
“Nigerian youths operate in a society that has experienced huge political, social, and religious upheavals of the intensity that has destroyed nations. But here we are in Nigeria, held together by one of the most populous and promising youth population. A population that has shown resilience and creativity that is uncommon on the continent.
“Nigerian youths deserve to be celebrated for standing out, standing strong, and insisting on a better future,” Mr Ozigbo, the immediate past president and Group CEO, said.
Ozigbo, who is the founder of Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation, also called on leaders in the country to recognize the power of the youth population and back up youth-centred policies with funding to enable Nigeria to transform through the power of the youth.
“Our youths are capable of competing effectively with their contemporaries the world over. This is evident in the reports of academic record-setting by Nigerians in universities around the world. In sports, entertainment, technology, and business, there is an undeniable imprint of the Nigerian youth in the global space.
“I call on leaders in Nigeria, at all levels of government, and in the corporate world to stand up for the youth. Back up their creative and youthful energies with the right policies and funding to give them the necessary lift that will truly transform Nigeria into her rightful place of pride in the global community,” he advocated.
Ozigbo has through VCO Foundation, created several programmes that advanced the development of youths in culture and entrepreneurship in Anambra State.
He is also the chairman of Unusual Entrepreneur, an initiative of the Catholic Church, which focuses on developing and empowering young business leaders in Nigeria.
Ozigbo is a leading governorship aspirant in the People’s Democratic Party,(PDP), for the upcoming Anambra elections slated for November 2021.
