Abuja – August 14 – (Mediaage NG News) – The Young Planners Forum (YPF), FCT Chapter, on Monday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, held a technical forum to mark the 2023 United Nations Youth Day.
Coordinator of the forum, Tpl Mohammed Lawal Shaibu said the need to raise awareness on issues affecting the youth is essential and will ensure more engagement and participation of young people. “It is critical to achieving the sustainable development goals”, in his words.
Tpl Lawal said going by the global theme for this year’s celebration, “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”, it focuses on promoting knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed for a resource-efficient society among the youth.
“This is vital for a successful transition towards a greener, more environmentally sustainable, and climate-friendly world”, he said.
He spoke on climate change and the impact it is having on the planet, giving an instance of an image seen online, revealing that the 37 hottest days on earth in the last 100,000+ years all happened in the last 37 days, “it is such a wakeup call to the urgency of the climate crisis”, he revealed.
“With that in mind, we completely recognize the essence of the global theme in today’s world”, he added.
Tpl Lawal expressed concern on the effects of the rising cost of commodities on the youth whom he described as “the most financially disadvantaged group” and said the cost of housing supply, consumption, and cost of transportation as a result of the recent petrol subsidy removal, are realities that have made it increasingly difficult for the youth to afford housing and mobility.
He said the theme for this year’s commemoration, “Empowering Youth: Exploring and Enhancing the Intersection of Housing and Mobility in the FCT”, was chosen by the Abuja chapter of the YPF because housing and mobility are vital cogs to ensuring a sustainable and inclusive urban future.
“Because they are almost completely based on land, they are highly dependent on the influences of Town Planners who are the professional determinants of land use, Lawal added.
He expressed confidence that this year’s theme can stimulate policy and implementation aimed towards improving housing and mobility for young.
He appreciated the efforts of the Chairman of the FCT Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Tpl Lami Ayuba for supporting and showing faith in reviving the Young Planners Forum, Abuja Chapter.