Sekibo: Entrepreneurship, Antidote for Youth Unemployment

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Bank Plc, Mr. Ifie Sekibo has charged the 16 finalists in the ‘Next Titan Nigeria,’ sponsored by the bank to see themselves as winners, who are striving to provide solution to the menace of youth unemployment in Nigeria.

The ‘Next Titan’ is Nigeria’s entrepreneurial reality TV show where thousands of young entrepreneurs across the country compete with one another for a grand prize of N5 million and a brand-new car to start his or her dream business.

The finalists were unveiled in Lagos recently at a premier/gala night show out of a total of 60 contestants that emerged from more than 2,000 budding entrepreneurs that were screened in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Lagos.

In his keynote address, Sekibo, who was represented at the event by the bank’sExecutive Director, Jude Monye, said the benefits of entrepreneurship today, cannot be over-emphasised because it is an antidote for youth unemployment.

“In Heritage Bank, we are passionate about entrepreneurship. This is extremely relevant today given the unemployment challenges that we face in Nigeria and Africa at large.

“Nothing is more fulfilling than to groom-to-empower young aspiring start-up entrepreneurs and mentor them to grow and become large corporates enlisted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

“We are dedicated to developing the next generation of outstanding young African entrepreneurs, who will shape the continent’s economies and the world at large,” Sekibo said.

He warned that the unemployment indices today cannot be changed by more government jobs alone; stressing that the nation needs to democratize job creation.

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