The Boys Brigade, a faith-based youth group, declared in Lagos on Thursday that there was the need to assist youths to overcome baits that led to crime.
“There is the need to encourage youths to work toward making their environment peaceful, habitable and business friendly,’’ its president, Mr., Sunny Nwaosu, told newsmen.
“Our character moulding programmes engage youths in social reforms and mentorship training in SMEs as a way to discourage restiveness,’’ he said.
Nwaosu also said the brigade would hold a N100 million fundraiser on Sunday to attract funds to revitalize its programmes targeted at youth reforms.
He stressed that the nation’s youths energy ought to be redirected to suit national interests.
The Boys president, who attributed the upsurge in violent crimes among youths to unemployment, appealed for agricultural subsidy to absorb teeming youths in the sector.
He added that with good management and reduced interest rate on loans, more than 60 per cent of youths would be gainfully employed in agriculture.
Nwaosu also appealed to the Federal Government to restore grants to the Boys Brigade to assist it in discharging its obligations of training youths to become good adults that the society could bank on in the future.
Also speaking at the news conference, the organization’s secretary, Mr. Adamu Malgwi, said it would continue to promote its founders’ objectives with regimental training of youths to instill discipline.
Reminiscing on the days of old, Malgwi tasked those who benefited from the brigade’s trainings in the past to assist it to discharge its obligations, part of which is to train youths in acceptable conducts.
He expressed regret that the downturn in the economy and insecurity had stifled the organization’s services and appealed to the public to assist it financially.
The Boys Brigade is in its 135th year in Nigeria. (NAN)
