President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration would not forget the role young Nigerians played in the “historic election” that brought him to power.

“This government belongs to you,” President Buhari said on Friday in a message he sent to Nigerian youths to commemorate the International Youth Day.

Mr. Buhari, who described the youths as being the strength and future of the country, said his administration was committed to improving the quality of lives of young Nigerians, and also creating opportunities for them to achieve their dreams and ambitions.

“We are mindful of the fact that Nigeria has one of the youngest populations in the world. Those young people are immensely energetic and talented, consistently blazing the trail in the arts, sports, business and technology. We are proud of what you have done and what you are able to do.

“We have launched a number of initiatives targeted at expanding the economic opportunities available to young Nigerians.

“N-Power, our job creation scheme, for which applications are ongoing, will employ 500,000 of you in agriculture, education, healthcare and technology.

“The Aso Villa Demo Day will soon bring 30 of the most innovative young Nigerians to the State House to showcase their talent in providing technology-based solutions to some of our most challenging problems.

“The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), part of our N500 billion Social Investment Programme, will provide soft loans to thousands of young entrepreneurs across the country. These are just some of the many initiatives we have designed and are implementing for you.”

Many Nigerians were of late becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Buhari administration because of economic hardship in the country.