“We also have been procuring deals for them. We have two deals currently on the table. We have a deal for them on training 1,000 consultants on Electric Vehicles (EV) repairs.

“You know we’re seeing that being turned out lately and we’re in the process of having them sent free of charge.

“We’ve got this deal with the Chinese company that is operating in Nigeria and they’ll come further to even offer a car acquisition scheme for lawmakers because I know elections are coming” Nwulu said.

On his part the Managing Director of TAJ Bank Plc, Ahmed Joda expressed the readiness of the bank to partner with the YIPF to achieve its goals and be at the frontline in youth participation and inclusion in governance.

He promised to support the initiative in creating the right environment for businesses to thrive and enrich the capacity of the younger generations in leadership roles and nation building.

He said there is a need to inculcate attitudinal change, value reorientation and national consciousness among the youth for a better society.

“ You know, when we spoke in my office, when we had a discussion on the initiatives, the Youth in Parliament Forum, I never thought it was this elaborate and with a clear vision, strong sense of purpose,

“ I mean the mission of vision is as clear as night and day. And entirely as I see it, a non-partisan kind of initiative. It’s out to change a lot of things, a lot of things that we see in Nigeria today. Because what are the things that drive the economy? The major things that drive the economy are the policies, the laws that you have in an economy.

“ How good are your laws? How good are your policies? And that is what creates the right kind of environment for businesses to thrive. And it’s very important for those who make the laws to upskill.

“ And of course, that is what you are bringing to the table. Now, we’ve never had this kind of initiative in all the years that we’ve had democracy, since democracy returned. So I think this team really deserves a round of applause.

“ I want to assure you that we will partner with you and we will support this initiative and we want to be at the forefront because for us, we believe, at least for myself and the co-founder, we believe there is something special about being a Nigerian and I’m being very honest about it. I think that we really need to drive national consciousness and really appreciate the fact that we are Nigerians.

“If you know what you are doing and if you have vision, you have focus and you are determined that you are resilient, being a Nigerian is like winning the Ovarian Lottery. Because look at Taj Bank, Taj Bank is an example. Taj Bank was an idea on paper. We were in FCMB, First City Monument Bank, we were employees in First City Monument Bank and then we sat down one afternoon and envisioned setting up a bank in Nigeria. It was just an idea on paper and then we started putting the building blocks, appointing a consultant, raising capital, and submitting when we finally raised the capital. It was very difficult. So that’s where resilience comes in. But by the time we did that, we submitted it to the central bank. But at the end of the day, we got the license and we opened the shop and we started running. And today we have more than 1,600 Nigerians in the employment of TAJ Bank”

The Youth in Parliament Forum (YIPF) is a platform and initiative that brings together both serving and past young legislators from the National Assembly, State Assemblies, and Local Government Councils to amplify youth voices, promote youth participation in governance, and influence policies affecting young people across the 36 states and FCT.

YIPF collaborates with government agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, academic institutions, and international bodies such as the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, established under the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to broaden diversity and inclusiveness by raising youth presence and incorporating youth perspectives into parliamentary agendas.

YIPF is also aimed to empower young legislators through capacity building policy advocacy and collaborative governance to drive meaningful legislative reforms that will promote youth participation and national development.