BEVERLY HILLS, May 27, (THEWILL) – The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has returned from Italy where he had traveled to earlier in the day for the G7 Summit special outreach forum on Africa with selected African nations and leaders including Nigeria, Guinea, Tunisia, Niger, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Announcing his return on Saturday evening via his Twitter handle, Osinbajo stated that he is “honored to represent Nigeria today at G7 summit Africa outreach in Taormina, Italy.”
While at the summit, he had posited that African youths are not deterred by the failures of the past on the continent, stressing that the energy and talent of the youth remained a source of optimism for the continent.
The Acting President, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said, “Africa is confident of the future because we have learnt, we are investing more in education, insisting on good governance and holding ourselves to account.
“But the greatest reason for our optimism is in the incredible energy, talent and creativity of our young people, male and female who are completely undeterred by the failures of the past and are daily taking advantage of innovation and technology bringing about the Africa of our dreams.”
While assuring the G7 countries of Africa’s increasing collaboration in trade, counter-terrorism and strengthening democracy, Osinbajo commended the seven most industrialised nations of the world for their support in the fight against Boko Haram terrorism.
He singled out the United States, France, and the United Kingdom as effective partners in the Lake Chad basin, citing the successes of “our joint intelligent unit which has provided useful and timely intelligence in the war against terrorism”.
Speaking about the progress so far recorded in the country, the Acting President said there has been a massive increase in rice yield over the past two years, distribution of fertilizer subsidies to farmers, who have also benefited from an e-wallet system which guaranteed that the subsidies get to the farmers.
He pointed out that the N-Power programme which has started engaging some of the up to 500,000 young previously unemployed graduates instalmentally as teachers, agricultural extension workers, and public health professionals “is a breakthrough in mass post-tertiary education.”
He said the participants were recruited online in all states in the nation mostly using mobile phones, adding that participants were soon to receive their electronic tablet devices and can access an N-Power portal that contain required training materials for an acquisition of more skills to carry out their duties.
On the entourage of the Acting President were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyema; Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr. Yemi Dipeolu; and the Nigeria Charge d’ Affairs in Italy, Mrs. Bisi Meshioye.
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