Mr Sam Adekunle, Permanent Secretary in the ministry said this last Sunday in Abuja, in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the level of preparations for the 2007 International Youth Day celebration.

Adekunle urged the youths to be resolute in ensuring that Nigeria is properly developed for a better tomorrow.

According to him, the solid foundation they lay today will determine the country’s future.

"We want our youths to deviate from criminal behaviours and divert their energy towards things that are progressive and productive,’’ he said.

Adekunle also charged the youths to come up with positive ideas that would assist the government to move the country forward.

He reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring that youths were adequately provided for, saying that it was for this that the National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP), and other bodies were established.

Speaking on the International Youth Day celebrations, scheduled for August 12, Adekunle disclosed that preparations were in top gear to ensure its success.

He said that the day was borne out of the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes in 1998.

``The youth day is a declaration by the UN that August 12 of every year should be set aside to mark the day to create awareness on youth’s related issues,’’ he said.

Adekunle said that the day would be celebrated through a week of activities that would commence on August 6 to culminate on August 12.

He listed activities lined up for the event to include: Presidential youth forum, Lectures, Essay writing, Quiz competitions, Football competition, Carnival train, Dance Drama, Exhibitions of youth initiative and excursion.

Adekunle said that the youth week would also be used to launch the establishment of Youth Parliament where youths would be given the opportunity to deliberate on youths-related issues.

``As part of our leadership training,

the youths parliament will give youths

the opportunity to draw up bills, deliberate

and pass the bills which would later be

forwarded to the National Assembly for

further deliberations.

``We are expecting about 1,000

participants from the 36 states and

the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),’’

he said.

He further stated that a Presidential

Planning Committee chaired by him,

had already been put in place to

ensure the success of the

celebrations.

He gave the theme for this year’s

celebrations as: `Be Seen, Be heard,

Youth participation in development.’’