A United States based cleric and entrepreneur,  Rev Godwill Keenam, has urged multinational companies and oil firms operating in the Niger Delta region, to give priority attention  to youth employment and empowerment as key  components of their corporate  policies towards their host communities., who is the founder and coordinator of  Calvary Outreach   Ministries Worldwide gave the urge while speaking with The Tide in an interview in Port Harcourt, Saturday.
He  noted that absence  of the youth from gainful employment  and other engaging economic  activities  results into boredom on their  part, with crime as the  aftermath effect.
The renowned  cleric said  it was ironical  that youths from Rivers State and the Niger Delta in general, were mostly  disengaged  from active enterprise development despite  the presence, of  myraids of multinational  oil firms in  the area.
He said as a matter of  comparative advantage, the multinationals should create small industries  from  the major  conglomerate  and train the youths in specialized  areas to fit in the modular refineries scheme to stem unemployment.
Keenam, who organised anti-recession summit in  Port Harcourt last year,  also cautioned the youth,  to shelve  the idea of working in oil  companies alone, but develop special skills to make them  productive   and saleable in the labour market.
He emphasized  that youths should channel  their energies  toward creative  ventures by approaching  the oil firms with good  entrepreneurial  proposal while advising  the oil  firms  not to shut their  gates against youths with creative talents.
The cleric regretted that the Niger Delta was still carrying the  burden of poverty, inspite of the brunts of environmental pollution that devalues their  natural  inheritance.

Taneh Beemene