WELCOME SPEECH BY HON. PETER OGBONNA EZE,(Ezembanabo) Federal Commissioner Representing Enugu State, Federal Character Commissionat the ongoing Peter Eze Youth Connect 2026, holding at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu State.
FEDERAL COMMISSIONER REPRESENTING ENUGU STATE, FEDERAL CHARACTER COMMISSION
PROTOCOLS
GREATEST NIGERIAN YOUTHS!
GREATEST ENUGU YOUTHS!
With a deep sense of responsibility and profound gratitude, I wish to begin by thanking every young person here today, despite the short notice and limited awareness of this event.
Look around you. Nobody was paid to be here. Nobody was compelled to be here. You are here because you are driven by a desire for knowledge and opportunity, and determined to improve your future.
Today’s programme, titled “Beyond Quotas: Unlocking Opportunities for Enugu Youths Through the Federal Character Commission,” is unique, timely and remarkable in several ways.
Apart from the fact that this is the first event of its kind being organized through my office as the Commissioner representing Enugu State in the Federal Character Commission, it is also a product of my strong desire and determination to put the records straight and bring vital information to our people, particularly our teeming unemployed youths.
Empowerment is not giving someone a handshake and taking a photograph. True empowerment is giving people the knowledge, skills, information, access and opportunities they need to stand on their own, restore their dignity and build a sustainable future.
And this is what makes today’s gathering so important to us.
The objective is to ensure that our youths are adequately informed about the numerous employment opportunities available in the Federal Public Service and other government institutions. It is also an opportunity to encourage our youths to empower, create and recreate themselves for their personal advancement and the overall development of Enugu State.
There are over 700 Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions and other establishments providing employment and other opportunities across the country.
The Federal Character Commission has the constitutional and statutory responsibility to promote equitable representation and ensure that the principles of federal character are respected across these federal institutions.
Before the end of this programme, you will understand the processes and requirements for applying for and accessing these opportunities.
The Commission has also strengthened its digital presence, including its website. The FCC website is not merely an information portal; it is part of our effort to close the information gap between government opportunities and the people who need them.
It provides access to relevant and reliable information and helps Nigerians reduce their vulnerability to fraudulent actors and middlemen.
Through this Connect programme, you will also learn about international and domestic grants, scholarships, training programmes and other opportunities that many Nigerians are already accessing and, more importantly, how you can position yourself to qualify for them.
Through this Connect programme, we will answer your questions about the Federal Character Commission and give maximum assistance to as many people as possible.
This is important because knowledge is power, while misinformation can be deforming and debilitating.
Since the inauguration of the 5th Commission by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and under the leadership of the Federal Character Commission, led by our indefatigable and dynamic Executive Chairman, Hon. Mrs. Ayo Omidiran, and by the grace of providence, divine arrangement, and the kindness of His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, I became the Commissioner representing Enugu State in the Commission.
In the seven months that I have had the privilege of serving in this capacity, I have come to the realization that many of our youths, particularly job seekers, have missed or failed to utilize the numerous opportunities available to them through the laws, mandate and programmes of the Federal Character Commission to secure meaningful employment in different Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
One of the major reasons for this unfortunate situation is the existence of generational fallacies, erroneous impressions and misleading assumptions that advertised or publicized Federal Public Service and other public service jobs have already been shared or given out even before they are publicly advertised.
This mentality, which is often promoted and propagated by people who ought to know better, has deterred, discouraged and dissuaded many qualified job seekers from doing the needful, which is to apply for available opportunities and follow the process through to the end.
No player has ever won a football match outside the pitch.
Let, me, therefore use this opportunity to emphasize that you can barely get an opportunity you do not apply for.
Our people must not disqualify themselves through fear, misinformation or the assumption that the outcome has already been predetermined.
Some have attributed this challenge, in part, to the inability of the Federal Character Commission, before now, to create sufficient awareness and enlightenment about the processes and procedures for applying for and securing Federal Public Service jobs impartially and equitably, while ensuring that available opportunities by MDAs are distributed in accordance with the principles of federal character.
It is for this reason, among others, that the present leadership of the Commission, since assuming office, has been at the forefront of educating and informing qualified Nigerian job seekers, particularly young Nigerians, about their rights, the available opportunities, and the proper modalities and processes for applying for and securing employment without godfathers, middlemen or exploitation.
You do not need to buy a job; you need to prepare yourself.
Anyone asking you to pay for a legitimate government job is asking you to participate in an illegal act and should be reported through the appropriate channels.
I am convinced that, as a young person who has been privileged to serve within the Commission in the last seven months, I have a responsibility to bring this information and knowledge to the doorstep of Enugu youths so that they can optimally utilize these opportunities for their individual advancement and the collective development of our dear state.
Some people may ask, why the name “Peter Eze Youth Connect?”
The answer is simple.
Peter Eze believes that leadership must create access.
I don’t want to be the kind of person who hears about an opportunity and keeps it to himself.
If I know that something can change the life of a young person from Enugu State, I believe that the young person should hear about it.
If I can open a door, I should open it.
If I can connect someone to the right person, I should make the connection.
If I can provide information, I should provide it.
And if I cannot personally solve a problem, I should at least help someone find the person or institution that can.
That is the spirit of this programme.
Connect. Inform. Equip. Empower.
Today’s event is therefore not merely a gathering; it is an investment in knowledge, an investment in opportunity and, ultimately, an investment in the future of our youths and our society.
Everyone cannot be accommodated in the Public Service. There are limitations in every MDA. But whatever opportunities are legitimately available to our people must not be lost because of ignorance, misinformation or lack of access to information.
We have therefore extended this programme beyond the quotas of job opportunities that accrue to Enugu youths in the Federal Public Service to opportunities in businesses that come with grants, scholarships, fellowships, training programmes and other legitimate pathways to personal and economic advancement.
If you pay attention to our resource persons, you must leave here with something tangible. There is a full scholarship opportunity for you to study abroad, and five persons will be selected among you today.
The programme will be interactive, incisive, educative and participatory, with a strong spirit of fellowship.
There will be sessions for questions, and I therefore urge you to feel free to ask questions, seek clarification and participate actively.
Please do not leave here with unanswered questions.
The essence of this gathering is for you to acquire the knowledge, information and confidence required to take advantage of the opportunities available to you.
My dear brothers and sisters, particularly the great youths of Enugu, the future does not belong to those who merely wait for opportunities; it belongs to those who recognize opportunities, prepare themselves and take decisive action.
Let nobody tell you that there is no opportunity.
You really have no option but to succeed.
So, let nobody discourage you.
Let nobody make you believe that you need a godfather before you can succeed.
Get the information.
Follow the process.
Prepare yourself.
Apply.
Compete.
And pursue your opportunity.
As I stand before you today, I make this commitment: I will continue to use my position and access within the Federal Character Commission to bring relevant information and opportunities closer to the people of Enugu State, especially our youths.
Because I believe leadership is not about controlling access; leadership is about creating access.
Peter Eze Youth Connect is not intended to be a one-day event.
Let it sink into your minds that we genuinely want to build a culture where young people know where to look for opportunities.
We want to create a network where information travels faster.
We want young people to become more prepared, more informed and more competitive.
And I want every one of you to become an ambassador of opportunity.
When you discover an opportunity, share it.
When you succeed, help somebody else.
When you get a job, don’t forget the person who is still searching.
When your business grows, employ somebody.
When you rise, lift somebody.
Because the real measure of success is not how many people you passed on your way up.
It is how many people you helped rise with you.
Let us seize this moment.
Go from here informed. Go from here prepared. Go from here determined.
And when you find an opportunity, don’t keep it to yourself—connect someone else.
No one can do it alone. Because when we connect, we inform. When we inform, we equip. When we equip, we empower. And when we empower our young people, we change the future of Enugu State.
That is the spirit of Peter Eze Youth Connect.
God bless the great Enugu youths!
God bless Enugu State!
And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Thank you, and God bless you all.
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