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Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and President Bola Tinubu's son, Seyi Tinubu are set to attend the maiden Annual Youth Summit organised by the Ogun State chapter of the City Boy Movement.
The initiative, scheduled for Saturday, December 21, 2024, at the June 12 Cultural Center, Abeokuta, aims to support and empower youths, students and business owners in Ogun State.
Tinubu and Alhaji Kamorudeen Yusuf, the Personal Assistant to the President on Special Duties, will co-host the event with Governor Abiodun gracing the programme as a Special Guest of Honour.
The event promises to offer financial support and scholarships worth ₦45 million to tech innovators, business owners, and students.
According to Yusuf, the program intends to empower youths, small and medium-scale businesses and support tech innovations with grants.
Yusuf explained that ₦500,000 each would be given to 50 medium-scale enterprises, while 100 small-scale businesses would receive ₦200,000 each.
The event also promises to extend financial support to three tech innovations that provide creative solutions to social problems.
The winner according to him will go home with ₦5 million while the first and second runner-ups will receive ₦3 million and ₦2 million respectively.
"The essence of this is to provide tech solutions to social problems in Ogun and Nigeria at large to stimulate our economic environment," the President's Personal Assistant said.
As part of preparations for the summit, Yusuf said the group has distributed over 300 pieces of furniture to primary schools and empowered over 30 women with ₦200,000 each in three major markets in the state.
Additionally, the group's leader and coordinator in Ogun, Dr Sulaimon Lateef said the event will feature panel sessions on micro, small and medium, agriculture, culture, arts, tourism, creative economy, and technology.
To achieve the summit's goals, Sulaimon said the group has launched an aggressive social media campaign to create awareness and publicity, adding that the event is open to all Nigerians.
"We are going to have different panel sessions and keynote speakers to speak on youth inclusivity and governance. We need to come together with experts in these sectors to share ideas with them and proffer solutions to our challenges," he said.
The guest speakers include the Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Wisdom, the Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, the Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii and the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Oluwatoyin Afiz.