By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has said each youth in Nigeria is entitled to an interest-free loan of N250,000 to N5 million and all is needed to claim the fund are phone number, account number and the Bank Verification Number (BVN).
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, who made this disclosure, the fund is from the N75 billion approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for youth empowerment for three years.
In a meeting last Friday with religious leaders and 77 District Heads from the 23 local government areas in Kaduna State, the Minister said the federal government was determined to improve the wellbeing of the Nigerian youth through the various programmes designed for them.
She encouraged the youths to “apply and access the funds” and urged the religious and traditional rulers to continue to play their roles in promoting unity and peaceful coexistence, among different ethnic groups.
Earlier, the Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmud Abubakar, called on the stakeholders to support the government to discharge its duties by protecting lives and property, as well as creating job opportunities.
In her remarks, Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mrs Hadiza Balarabe, said government convened the meeting in continuation of the engagement with different stakeholders, especially the traditional and religious leaders, to help in charting a course for building a safer and prosperous state and nation.
She appealed to the traditional and religious leaders to sensitise their subjects and followers to always uphold law and order in their conducts while emphasising that the government is willing to listen to all ideas by the people to improve lives and property.
Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, provided an update on security challenges and efforts by the government in dealing with the security challenges in the state.
