FG should support, encourage youth entrepreneurship to tackle poverty in Nigeria – Tumsah
An Abuja based young entrepreneur, Ibrahim Tijjani Tumsah, has urged Federal Government (FG) to support and encourage youth entrepreneurs by making Nigeria conducive for young business owners.
Tumsah, who is an agro commodities exporter urged business-minded Nigerians to look toward the agro sector as it is promising and has high growth potential.
He disclosed this during an interview with Neptune Prime in Abuja.
Ibrahim Tumsah urged the government to create more job opportunities, and involve youths in the political aspect of governance.
He said the government should provide mentorship programmes for the youth which will guide and encourage young Nigerians to learn the political aspect of the country.
“The government should create more job opportunities, give access to finances like grants, loans to those who are into entrepreneurship and for people that have ideas to be able to operate the business of their choice so they can be self-employed.
“The government should also invest in the private sector so they can be able to employ young people and expand the economy because not everyone is going to work with the government.
“It is good for the government to engage the youths in politics. Giving young Nigerians more opportunities in politics is giving them a voice. Young people should be given more positions in the government because it’s the youth that know what the young people want.
“I would like to add that the government should provide easier access to education and make education mandatory so the youths can widen their horizon and learn new ways to innovate and improve different areas of our society.
As a businessman, Tumsah exports agro commodities such as sesame seeds, hibiscus flowers, raw cashew nuts, soya beans, and ginger.
He purchased them from local sources in Nigeria and export them to different countries.
Speaking on his choice to trade in agro commodities, Tumsah said the sector needs more attention because it has high growth potential.
“I join this sector after I noticed there are very few people that engage in such business, especially Nigerian companies. There is a huge space in this particular field for Nigerians to step in, there is also a lot of potential specifically the growth in it and also the profit to be made in that specific field.”
“We also need people to realise that they can come into the market because there is space for everyone to do business. So this is basically like me taking the lead while others follow.
He also encouraged youths to embrace entrepreneurship and other private businesses thereby reducing the circle of unemployment and poverty in the country.
He said aside from the fact that government and other white-collar jobs may not be readily available, entrepreneurs have the liberty to control their time, which is a big advantage.
“Another advantage of being self-employed is that it gives me more freedom, I can decide when I’m gonna go to work, when I’m resting. It is more flexible and not the same as working in an office where you have to punch in the clock every time. So this suits my kind of lifestyle.
“I am not saying it’s wrong to work under someone. I don’t mind working in an office, because it is also decent work, but that isn’t the suitable style for my temperament, I like to have flexibility in the way I work and I like to be in control of what I do.
Ibrahim Tijjani Tumsah was born in Maiduguri, Borno State, an indigene of Bursari Local Government Area of Yobe State.
He studied International Economics and Finance in Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada in 2018. He is a businessman and a writer.