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, August 12, 2020. He also noted that Nigerian youth possess the capacity to chart a new path for Nigeria.
“Never before have the threats and opportunities been greater for a generation of young people in Nigeria,” Mr Ozigbo, the immediate past president and Group CEO, said.
“Nigerian youth 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 populations. A population that has shown resilience and creativity that is uncommon on the continent.
“Nigerian youth deserve to be celebrated for standing out, standing strong, and insisting on a better future,” the respected business leader remarked.
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 youth are capable of competing effectively with youth from any part of the world. This is evident in the reports of academic record-setting by Nigerians in universities around the world,” he observed.
“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.”
Through VCO Foundation, Valentine Ozigbo has created several programmes that advance the development of youth 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 upcoming Anambra elections slated for November 2021. He is a member of the People’s Democratic Party.
