“That’s why we want them involved in a mission like the Jesus Youth movement to adopt lifestyles in conformity with the gospel,” Bishop Musa said referring to the 1985-founded Catholic International Association that focuses on evangelising young people and nurturing their missionary initiatives.
The “Jesus Youth African Conference 2024” that concluded on October 27 brought together some 500 participants drawn from various youth groups in Katsina Diocese, including member of the Catholic Youths Organization of Nigeria (CYON), Young Catholic Students (YCS), Nigerian Federation of Catholic students (NFCS), National Association of Catholic Corper (NACC), and Legion of Mary groups among others.
In the October 29 interview, Bishop Musa lauded initiatives that bring Catholic youths together as essential contributors to the preparation of future Church leaders.
“Positioning them (youths) to take leadership of the church in the future requires formation” he said, recognizing the value of bringing together young people in planned sessions.
“We want to inspire and prepare them at this introductory stage, and then deepen that formation by engaging youth leaders from various parishes,” the pioneer Catholic Bishop of Katsina Diocese said.
Such formation, he went on to say, is essential in ensuring that “young people are equipped with gospel values and strong catechetical foundations, enabling them to lead the church effectively.”
During the October 29 interview with ACI Africa, the 53-year-old Nigerian Catholic Bishop also weighed in on the socioeconomic challenges that youths in Northern Nigeria face, highlighting employment and religious discrimination.
High unemployment rates and discrimination based on religion exacerbate the difficulties for many young people, Bishop Musa said, adding that the church has encouraged youths to pursue practical skills and career paths that can lead to self-employment and job creators rather than job seekers.
“The challenge is that many youths today don’t have jobs, even though some are skilled. This affects not only Christian youth but others who face similar struggles across the country,” Bishop Musa told ACI Africa, adding, “We encourage them to study courses that don’t rely on government employment alone and to develop skills for independent businesses.”
He continued, “Fields like medicine, nursing, and other vocational areas can enable them to be self-reliant and require less startup capital.”
