The Federal Government entrepreneurship and jobs creation initiative Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria, popularly known as YouWiN! has extended the age limit for candidates to age 40. The reason, according to Dr. Olasupo Olusi, Special Assistant to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy & YouWiN! Project Coordinator, is so that more young Nigerians can have the benefit of showcasing their business acumen at the business competition and thereby access the funds that would help take their businesses higher.
According to Dr. Olusi, the YouWin! Secretariat has been besieged by calls and emails since the inception of the competition from young Nigerians who couldn’t make the initially advertised cut of age 35. ‘So seeing as we actually have more “on-the-ground” business men in that age bracket’, he explained, ‘the government has decided to lift the bar to allow the entry of 40 year olds and under’.
Elaborating further, he said ‘Government believes that the wealth of experience that the under 40s have will help make the competition even keener’. He was quick to stress, however that age would not be a factor in deciding who gets the prizes eventually. ‘This is a competition of ideas. Our job is to see that at the end of the day, the best and most innovative ideas come tops, and for us to help support those ideas and their backers so that they can make good success in Nigeria’s business terrain’.
The elated Project Coordinator revealed that going by the submissions that have come in so far, it is obvious that Nigeria is brimming with business talents who, if encouraged and given adequate support can help propel Nigeria’s economy to much greater heights through value creation and the opening of opportunities to other young Nigerians.
Why stop at 40? Kuku take it up to 50 or 60...
ReplyDeleteI don't know how a middle aged person can be considered young, but then again, that's Naija for you.
If they want to have progs for the young, they should have progs for the young, if they want to have for middle aged people 35-55, then they should as well...
It a nice innovation atleast we will be proud of our country. http://www.campushotworld.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteOh lawd. Instead of Nigerian government to use meaningful economic policies to help individuals, families and businesses in Nigeria, it came up with this yeye 419 idea? Soon, to get electricity, healthcare, education will be a competition. Fraud on Nugeria by its unimaginative and dull government of Goodluck Jonathan. Nigerians have been fooled and hypnotised into accepting "x-factor" bullshit competition from its government. Smh.
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