Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has wooed private sector players to take advantage of the economic potential of the North East region cutting across fishing, aquaculture, logistics transportation and tourism.
Speaking during the ongoing North East Trade Fair in Bauchi, yesterday, the Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, explained that the blue economy of the region was yet to be tapped, while most of the youth in the region remained unemployed, which he said is fuelling insecurity.
Speaking on a topic, ‘Harnessing the Blue Economy Potential for Entrepreneurial Development: A Panacea for Youth Restiveness’, Mobereola said the subject of youth restiveness in Nigeria is alarming particularly in the North East and across the country.
According to him, acts of violence, gruesome killings, hostage-taking, cultism, etc are the social vices that have characterised the region.
He said: “Youth restiveness in this region has taken political, religious and economic dimensions. As future leaders, if this frond is not urgently checked, it will spell doom for the Nigerian state. The youths of any given state are the engine of development.
Therefore, a society with educated, disciplined, well-focused, and law-abiding youth will be heading for greatness. But regrettably, this is not the situation in the region where fear and insecurity have become the order of the day.”
President of the Chamber of Commerce and Mining and Agriculture and Industry, Abdul Usman, said the region was blessed with agriculture potential and called on major stakeholders to invest in agric.
He commended NIMASA for its interest in the entrepreneurship potential of the region.
