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Plateau Govt Urges Youths to Embrace Farming, AI, Targets 7,000 Hectares Cultivation and 20,000 Jobs by 2027
The Plateau State Government has called on young people to embrace agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI) as pathways to economic empowerment and sustainable development, unveiling plans to cultivate 7,000 hectares of farmland and create up to 20,000 jobs by 2027.
Speaking on Tuesday during the 2025 International Youth Day celebration in Jos, themed “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, said the Mutfwang-led administration is deliberate about positioning Plateau youths to compete globally through innovation, agribusiness, and leadership opportunities.
“In all the 17 LGAs of Plateau State, youth-led agricultural cooperatives are boosting food production and jobs. Young peace advocates prevent conflict through dialogue, while youths are advancing business, mental health, environmental care, and gender equity. These efforts embody the Plateau spirit of resilience and ingenuity,” Ashoms stated.
Highlighting the potential of AI to drive innovation, he noted that the government is investing in youth-friendly technologies, skill-building, and entrepreneurship. “The Plateau Youth Agricultural Empowerment Program (P-YAEP) equips hundreds of youths with skills for sustainable agribusiness, aligning with SDGs like ending hunger and promoting decent work. The potential of agriculture and AI in securing the future of youths is not in doubt, and that’s why we must embrace them now,” he said.
Ashoms, who represented Governor Caleb Mutfwang, stressed the administration’s pro-youth stance, revealing that 60% of leadership roles in Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and local councils are currently held by young people.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth Mobilization and Engagement, Hitler Pwajok, outlined the phased expansion of the Back-to-Farm initiative. “By next year, we aim to cultivate 2,500 hectares. In 2027, it will increase to 3,500 hectares. In total, between now and 2027, we will have cultivated nearly 7,000 hectares,” he said.
Pwajok added that the project will extend to the Central and Southern zones of the State, with a combined job creation potential of between 15,000 and 20,000 positions in the agribusiness value chain. He encouraged unity among beneficiaries, noting, “If five or ten youths pool their resources, they can acquire equipment like milling machines, run them profitably, and sustain themselves. That is the power of unity.”
Both officials underscored the need for collaboration, character-building, credible qualifications, and peaceful coexistence. Ashoms also urged youths to approach security challenges with wisdom, advising, “Remain alive so you can contribute to the growth of our State. Others come here to take advantage of our climate, resources, and beauty, turning them into thriving businesses. We too must seize these opportunities.”
The Commissioner further announced ongoing upgrades to the Rwang Pam Township Stadium and reaffirmed the government’s readiness to monitor and support youth-led businesses receiving seed capital.
This year’s celebration featured sessions on leveraging AI for smarter businesses, skill enhancement, and improved interpersonal relationships. “Youths are critical stakeholders in every developmental stride. They are there at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This government will continue to empower them so they can compete globally,” Ashoms assured.
Fidelity Bank Plc has appointed Jonathan Ososuakpor as a Non-Executive Director of the bank, taking effect from 22 May.
The bank disclosed the appointment in a statement posted on NGX Group and signed by the Fidelity Bank’s secretary, Ezinwa Unuigboje, on Monday, noting that Mr Ososuakpor can achieve the bank’s strategic objectives.
According to the statement, the appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, while the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria have also been notified about the appointment.
“The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Oniovosa Ososuakpor as a Non-Executive Director of Fidelity Bank Plc with effect from May 22, 2026.
“The appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, and notice of the same has been communicated to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
“The Board is pleased with the appointment and looks forward to working closely with Dr. Jonathan Oniovosa Ososuakpor to achieve the Bank’s strategic objectives,” the bank stated.
The bank said Mr Ososuakpor brings impressive cross-functional experience to the Board.
Profile
Mr Ososuakpor joins the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc with over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, including Credit and Marketing; Retail; Consumer and Commercial Banking; Public Sector; Banking Operations; and Risk Management.
He enjoyed an illustrious banking career, which commenced in 1983 with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and served in various capacities at notable financial institutions, including former Gateway Bank, Oceanic Bank, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, and Access Bank Plc.
Mr Ososuakpor held key leadership and management positions before he was appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of AMJU Unique Microfinance Bank Limited in 2012, a position he held until he retired from the bank in July 2025.
He was Chairman of Universal Finance Consult & Investment Limited from 2007 to 2017, and V-Capital Consulting Limited from 2015 to 2025.
He currently chairs the Board of Directors of Top Rank Oil Services Limited, a leading multifunctional engineering company providing diverse services to the nation’s Oil and Gas industry, Public and Private Sectors.
Mr Ososuakpor holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance, and Masters Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Benin. He also has both a Master of Science and a Doctorate Degree in Economics from Delta State University, Nigeria, and a Master of Business Administration (Finance) Degree from Bangor University, Wales, UK.
His professional qualifications include Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; Institute of Credit Administration; Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria, and Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals.
He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; Member of the Nigeria Economic Society, and Chartered Banker Institute, Wales, UK.
READ ALSO: Fidelity Banks first quarter revenue up by 38%
The new non-executive director is also a Certified Expert in Risk Management and a key resource person at local and international training. His areas of interest include Risk Management, Data Analytics, Monetary, Macro, and Microeconomics, Financial Inclusion, and Corporate Governance.
He has attended leadership and executive development programmes at world-class institutions, including the London Business School and United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released $3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and is establishing a continental Incident Management Support Team with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to scale up response efforts to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this on Monday during an Africa CDC ministerial briefing, saying the national risk level in DRC had been raised to “very high” due to rapid transmission and the absence of vaccines or therapeutics for the rare Bundibugyo strain.
Mr Ghebreyesus said WHO made the decision last Friday following fresh assessments showing increasing transmission risks.
The WHO chief said the organisation was finalising a multi-agency Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan aligned with national response plans for DRC and Uganda, while expanding contact tracing, treatment centres, laboratory capacity and community engagement.
“So far, 101 cases have been confirmed in DRC with 10 confirmed deaths. In Uganda, five cases and one death have been confirmed, linked to cross-border movement,” he said.
According to him, WHO assesses regional risk as high and global risk as low, but warned bordering countries face high risk and should act immediately, according to the latest WHO update report.
He noted that the response had been complicated by insecurity in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months, worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation.
The WHO boss said that two security incidents at health facilities were reported in the past week, and distrust of outside authorities was hampering community-based interventions, according to the WHO field reports update.
He said building trust in affected communities was now one of the WHO’s highest priorities to improve outbreak response effectiveness and community engagement across affected regions in DRC and Uganda, which is urgently required.
“To address lack of countermeasures, WHO convened interim Medical Countermeasures Network last week and recommended prioritising two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials,” he said according to WHO emergency response update report.
“The agency is also developing a trial for the antiviral obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contacts in partnership with Africa CDC and the Collaborative Open Research Consortium on filovirus research.
“Discussions are underway with partners on candidate vaccines in the pipeline,” he said.
He said the evaluation of vaccine candidates and strengthening regional preparedness against Ebola outbreaks in DRC and Uganda was currently ongoing
Mr Ghebreyesus said he would travel to the DRC on 26 May with Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, to directly review ongoing response operations.
He also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for cancelling Uganda’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration, which attracted up to two million people, as a preventive measure against further spread of the outbreak.
“We are facing an extremely serious and difficult outbreak. It will get worse before it gets better.
READ ALSO: Ebola: UNICEF raises concern over impact on children in DRC, Uganda
“But we know this virus, and we know how to stop it. With unity under the leadership of the governments of DRC and Uganda, and in close partnership with Africa CDC and all partners, we will stop this outbreak.”
According to him, WHO credited the governments of the DRC and Uganda for leading the response and said it remained fully committed to supporting them.
He urged neighbouring countries to strengthen surveillance, infection prevention and control, and readiness at points of entry to contain further spread.
(NAN)
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