The Fasthire Services Team Lead, Mr. Richard Okiasi, who also serves as the NACCIMA Youth Entrepreneurs Coordinator for the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, has reaffirmed his company’s commitment to helping young people access meaningful career opportunities, develop relevant skills and build sustainable livelihoods across the Niger Delta.
He made the call while speaking as a panelist at an event organised by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) to mark the 2026 International Youth Day in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The event, themed “Empowering Youth Through Career Pathways for Economic Development and Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta,” brought together more than 320 youths from Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Abia States.
Representing Fasthire Services, a subsidiary of Okverse Services Limited who are in partnership with PIND for the event, Okiasi urged Niger Delta youths to move beyond dependency and entitlement mentality by embracing entrepreneurship, innovation, skills development and professional visibility as pathways to economic independence.
He challenged young people to take greater responsibility for creating opportunities rather than seeing themselves primarily as recipients of government or oil-sector opportunities.
According to him, Niger Delta youths need to be confident and deliberate about showcasing their abilities and documenting their achievements both online and offline, particularly on professional platforms such as LinkedIn.
He stressed that visibility is important in this generation and it builds credibility, noting that the talents and accomplishments of young people in the Niger Delta must be seen, recognised and trusted if they are to attract opportunities, investors and partnerships. He also pointed to the fact that the more youths we have from the region doing exploits and documenting it, the more it’ll drive investors’ confidence to the professionals and creatives that we have in the Niger Delta.
The Executive Director of PIND, Mr. Sam Daibo, represented by Mr. Patrick Ekpe, said youth empowerment must go beyond training to include functional systems that connect skills with sustainable economic opportunities.
His Royal Highness Theophilus Moses, the BOT Chairman of KEFFESO HCDT; Chinedu Ikemefuna of Vectis Business Options Limited; Blessing Anozim of Global Sharpers Community Warri; and Onyekachi Ajah, the Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) Coordinator at PIND were all part of the panel session.
The event also featured a Career Opportunities and Support Fair, exposing participants to opportunities across ICT, agribusiness, renewable energy, construction, hospitality, and other emerging sectors.
At the end of his session, Okiasi reaffirmed that at Fasthire Services, they’ll continue supporting businesses to hire, train, and manage qualified talents while supporting professionals to become gainfully employed. He used the opportunity to call on other well-meaning organizations to partner with tackle unemployment and underemployment issues in the Niger Delta.
