Youth Support, Inclusion, Priority for Zamfara, Says Commissioner

Onuminya Innocent

Zamfara State Commissioner for budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abdulmalik Abubakar Gajam, has expressed confidence that the youths in the state will benefit greatly under the leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal.

He made the statement in an interactive section with journalists in Sokoto.

Gajam called on youths to accept system challenges and ensure better governance at all levels.

He described working in the minds of persons with higher ages as one of his challenges, stressing that most times senior men consider his steps and focus as still immature.

The commissioner commended Governor Lawal’s effort on considering capability and capacity to undertake leadership which resulted in the appointment of more youths into various positions in his administration.

According to him, when he assumed office as the commissioner, he had remodelled the office building upgrading office from 12 to 24 and ensure staff training to accommodate modern initiatives for state progress.

He reminded youths of being the future leaders, and to encourage themselves to be entrepreneurial enough to create a better tomorrow.

According to him, ‘’Societal challenges, violence and restiveness, along with other related issues must be discouraged among young people.

‘’We shall always encourage Nigerian youths to make themselves useful, develop their talents, acquire skills, and be more entrepreneurial.’’

Gajam emphasized that Governor Lawal had actively engage the youths through various programmes to suppress thuggery and other forms of restiveness in the state 

The commissioner said the present administration in Zamfara State prioritises education by payment of Senior Secondary School Examination fees, scholarships, skill acquisition trainings and facilitating investments into the state to provide employment opportunities.

He added that his stewardship as a commissioner ensured that women and youths have constituted 60 per cent of the benefiting population in government support programmes. 

Gajam said: ‘’Our administration ensures gender responsive budgets capturing all categories of people, vulnerable groups, and physically challenged persons with their respective needs.

‘’We always resort to contents of Social Register on any support programme, beneficiaries are drawn to ensure inclusiveness and adhere to stipulated guidelines more than any previous governments in Zamfara State.

“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs gave us accolade as Zamfara became among the best states in compilation and implementation of Social Register.’’

He highlighted the collaborative efforts with partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP and others, which had helped achieve significant progress in actualising the targets formulated by Governor Lawal.

The commissioner stressed that the immediate-past administration had chased away all developmental partners which had gloom doom in the state roadmap to progress.