Hope for Niger Delta Campaign I want to thank the UN for providing this Forum to discuss minority issues. I’m speaking today on my country, Nigeria. Nigeria has been plagued with security challenges occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram. As the most populous country in Africa, with an average population of about 180 million people and almost 70% of this population being youth, it is therefore imperative that in order to ensure peace and stability in Nigeria, focus must be placed on the youths of the country. Nigeria has almost 250 ethnic groups and about 500 languages, therefore internally creating several minority groups and regions. The use of quota system has relegated some minority groups and people to position of irrelevance. The socioeconomic situation of the country today, resulting from previous administration mismanagement, has resulted in untold economic hardship on the people, particularly the youths. The youth have faced economic hardship due to unemployment. There are many graduates without jobs. In this era, when education for the youth is pivotal to any country's advancement, most youth cannot access basic and affordable education. Mr. Chairman, as you know, the idle mind is the devil's workshop. When a society deprives its youth of education and means of livelihood, it opens doors to the youth to become vulnerable. Today, some of those youths have embarked on dangerous migration through the Sahara Desert, where they end up in North African countries such as Libya. We have seen the recent CNN documentary on the horrendous slave trades of African migrants in Libya. Those who have managed to escape the human rights abuses in Libya have died on the Mediterranean Sea, trying to make their way to Europe. In this way, we can save more lives on the Mediterranean Sea by at least working closely with the Nigerian group.

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