Transform your street energy, hustle into skills- Odetola tells youths

The Special Adviser, Strategy and Policy Development to the Director General of National Sports Commission and former Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, Abiola Odetola, has urged Nigerian youths to turn their street energy and hustle into skills and engines of productivity.

Odetola noted that despite the economic hardship, youths must learn to earn with skill, create with conscience, and compete globally.

According to him, if youths could transform their hustles into skills, Africa’s narrative would be drastically rewritten.

He stated this on Wednesday, during the flagship initiative of “StreetToSkills.”

The Nigerian policy strategist and youth advocate revealed that the initiative is a national platform that aligns youth potential with the demands of a rapidly digitizing economy, creating a pipeline of talent for the digital, creative, sports, and green economies.

He said, “Nigeria’s streets are not symbols of despair, but reservoirs of raw talent waiting for structure, mentorship, and belief.

“If one young person can transform hustle into skills, then together we can rewrite Africa’s story, one cohort, one community, one continent at a time.

“It proves that the government, private sector, and civil society can co-create pathways that lift young people from hustle to dignity. We are building a generation that will earn with skill, create with conscience, and compete globally.”

In her remarks, Oluwatosin Adejayo, founder of Design Cave, noted that through training and empowerment, young people can find their purpose instead of falling into depression.

She expressed joy that half of the participants are women who have broken free from traditional roles and are making their mark in technology and innovation, asserting that the 37 participants were prepared to create real digital solutions, solve design problems, and understand data better.

Meanwhile, Tosin Fakile, Founder Devcent trainings harped on the importance of collaboration, saying it makes it easier to reach more people, create opportunities, and empower the next generation of tech talents