“Entrepreneurs are crucial in filling the gaps left by larger companies or government institutions. By supporting entrepreneurship, we can tackle the unemployment crisis and build a more resilient local economy”, he said.
Onyeke said the public and private sectors do not offer enough jobs to meet the demand of the increasing number of graduates.
He noted that entrepreneurship can transform the socio-economic landscape of Enugu Ezike, Igbo Eze North and Enugu State in general by creating an environment where innovation thrives.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the occasion, Dr Cyprain Okoro thanked members of Ezike Diamond Club for organising such an event to prepare youths of the town for a better future.
He decried the rising cases of crime among youths in their desperation to ‘get rich quick’.
He said the 2024 lecture was timely to stem the tide of ‘Yahoo businesses’ among Enugu Ezike youths even as he warned them to retrace their steps.
Dr Okoro urged Ezike youths to embrace education and entrepreneurship to earn a living rather than waste their time in lifestyles that are not sustainable.
In his speech, the chairman of Igbo Eze North local government who was the Chief Host, Hon. Uche Ogala thanked members of Diamond Club for planning for the future of youths in Enugu Ezike.
He commended the timing of the event and urged the teeming youths present to make proper use of the lessons learnt from the 2024 lecture.
The LG chairman enjoined other groups with similar visions with Diamond club to work towards the progress and development of Enugu Ezike and Igbo-Eze North.
Earlier in his welcome address, President of the club, Mr Willy Eya
said it was reassuring to see the very distinguished personalities that graced the occasion aimed at creating another pathway for the development and progress of Enugu-Ezike.
He said in Igbo-Eze North today, majority of our youths were desperate to make it quickly, hence, have resorted to the ‘Yahoo business’.
Many youths, he said, were not prepared to wait patiently to achieve the fruits of their labour but instead, anxious to ride flashy cars and build mansions via fast money-making means.
“Boys involved in Yahoo Plus are the reason the human-parts harvest business is thriving in some parts of the country. It is also partly responsible for the increasing cases of missing children in recent times.
“As we are gathered here today, can we imagine what would likely become the future of youths involved in these crimes? Your guess is as good as mine. However, one thing is sure: there would always be a period of reckoning for them including but not limited to depression, madness, and even untimely death.
“Diamond Club urges our youths not to toe that path. I do not need to remind them that such a life of crime is not sustainable. They should retrace their steps, embrace education, be patient and work hard to earn a living”, he said.
One of the highlights of the event was the investiture of a highly decorated professional, teacher, administrator and fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management(FNIM), Dr (Mrs) Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko as the Patroness of Ezike Diamond Club, Nigeria.
Dr Adukwu-Bolujoko thanked the club for the honour and said she would always collaborate with it to work for the development and progress of Enugu Ezike.
Represented by Mr Lawrence Awucha, she urged Ezike youths not to toe the path of crime as it was alien to the culture of the people.
Ezike Diamond, Nigeria, is a non-partisan, non-religious and non-governmental organisation made up of graduate professionals of Enugu-Ezike extraction, totally committed to the progress, welfare and general well-being of its members on one hand, and the development of Enugu-Ezike and the society at large, on the other. It is an exclusive club of individuals who have distinguished themselves in their careers and have committed to the service of their beloved town, Enugu-Ezike and humanity in general.
Quote: “there is an urgent need to reconstruct the mindset of young people towards vocational education and aligning training programmes with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”
