A.financial expert and Chief Executive Officer of ADRAC Consulting Services, Dr. Deji Awobotu has advised Nigerian youths to strive to be financially literate as a means of taking charge of their financial future.
Dr. Awobotu gave the charge at the third Annual Youth Capacity Building and Empowerment Program organized by the Finance and Business Online Publishers Association(FiBOP).
Dr. Awobotu stated that the mastery of finance will aid the youths, both now and in future to manage their lives more effectively no matter the sector or the field or career choices they make in the future.
According to him, a good knowledge of finance will help them take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges particularly as the economic situation bites harder not just in Nigeria and on the global
He charged the participating students to make the best use of their youthful days in positioning themselves for competitiveness in the labour market both locally and internationally, insisting that age is neither a barrier nor a challenge to the quest for financial literacy.
Dr. Awobotu admonished them to consider obtaining professional certification or qualification with such bodies as I CAN, maintaining that they could start writing their ICAN exam while awaiting admission to the universities.
Dr. Awobotu who spoke on the background of the theme, “Digital Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Online Safety, Insurance and Financial Literacy for Nigerian Youth”, urged the students to take advantage of the opportunities such as has been created by FiBOP to enhance their knowledge of finance .
President of the FiBOP, Charles Onwuatogwu, earlier in his opening address, welcomed the students and participants to the event, stressed the need for sound education as a critical factor in the development of the future generation was visible dismayed with the rise in incident of kidnappings of students from schools across the country.
While insisting that Nigerian students deserve better and more secure learning environment, he charged the government to do everything within its powers to ensure the release of abducted school children as well as providing more secure environment for conducive learning .
Onwuatogwu, who further argued that relevant skills are key to national growth and personal development, challenged the students to ensure they take skill acquisition, digital and financial literacy more seriously..
The FiBOP annual youth capacity building programme which is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR), also forms part of efforts by the association to equip secondary school students in Nigeria with the knowledge and skills for bracing up to the challenges of the future .