NYC HOLDS NATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT/CONFERENCE, 25TH MARCH, 2021.

….. Says Youths Are Ready For Leadership Positions

Oru Leonard

The Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), has held a submit/ conference on Thursday, March 15, 2021, at the NAF Center, Jahi-Abuja, Nigeria to show the readiness of the youths in supporting the government at all levels to make the country better.

In his opening remark, the President Mr. Blessing Akinlosotu stated, “Is an indication of the readiness of our generation in joining hands with the Government at the Federal, State, and Local Government levels to move the Nation forward, by taking responsibility for issues and challenges affecting our present, and future.”

He noted that this year’s National Youth Summit is a very strategic and important one as its resolutions will be presented to the Federal Government, National Assembly, and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to be worked on for proper implementation of the welfare of Nigeria Youth.

He emphasized that a nation with a hardworking and creative youth population like ours will develop speedily if it realizes its potentials and harnessed the same for the betterment of its present and future to come. This is why as a patriotic generation of young minds, we feel the importance of organizing ourselves to be responsive to the challenges confronting this nation, Nigeria.

Blessing further said that beyond Paper-Tigers, mere conceptions or wishful thinking, government policies, programmes, interventions, projects, and approaches for the implementations in every sane clime, it must be the one that is in all sincerity of purpose be beneficial and more responsive to the need of the young people and this can only manifest provided their views, ideas, opinions, and inputs are carefully considered in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of such designs.

“Hence, the dare need for a gathering like this to alert the brilliant young individuals from the nooks and crannies of the country in one hand to facilitate through cerebral discussion and ensure a paradigm shift in the perception of the place of the young people of this country to be concerned about how opinions that governed them are arrived at while on the other hand review ways, manners and directions the older generation has conditioned this country with a misconception to the ability of the youth demography.

“You would agree with me that despite 65 to 70 percent population of this country of more than 200 million people are youth, it is highly pathetic and alarming that one major question amongst many others that beats worries on the pillars of our hearts is, how has this great numerical strength being translated into good governance/leadership and economic prosperity? This is why this conference is expedient to discuss the theme – Youth Mainstreaming in the National Development Agenda to come with workable suggestions on to be presented to all the major actors in governance that the place of youth can not be substituted or replaced with anything because it is not the only key but it is indeed a strategic tool in the empowerment of the young people and remains unequivocally, veritable factor in the repositioning of the young generation for the purpose of strengthening a nation like this in terms of economy, leadership and globally acceptable standard”, he explained.

He cautioned that the Concept of Youth Mainstreaming in Nigeria in a ‘bird’s-eye view’, should not be construed to mean just recruiting young people at lower cadre in leadership and governance; it is about transforming the youth into making them central and focal rallying point in the formulation and implementation of the policies of the government; to bring about holistic, youth-centric development agenda across all sectors.

“In fact, Youth Mainstreaming in National Agenda: must be of a necessity leading to a process that provides equal access (for the youth) on any planned action, including legislation, policies, formulation and implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programmes, in all political, economic, and social spheres so that (youths) should benefit equally and inequality not be perpetuated”, he stated.

The  NYC President enumerated the objectives and outcomes expected of the Submit to include Improving the nations’ understanding of youth issues, renewing respect for the rights of young people to participate in decision-making, renewing youths’ alertness and understanding of government empowerment policies/programmes, and finding ways of creating enabling environment that engages young people in conflict resolution initiatives.

“May I remind you the illustration of Prof. Patrick Lumumba about the dinner table that we have made ourselves food to be eating in the plate of the eaters/diners too long on the dinner table and we need to wake up on time to be committed to the agenda of Nigerian Youth Mainstreaming in National Development Agenda to strengthen this country”, Akinlosotu concluded.

The Secretary-General, NYC, Dr. Edoh Raymond who spoke to journalists at the event has this to say, “we are engaging state Governors on the security situation in their states to ensure that the Youth and other Nigerians in those states are safe”.

Speaking further, he stressed that the Summit will ensure that the youths are taught and trained for free on certain skills, noting that NYC also has been engaging youths in empowerment which in turn has helped in curbing cybercrime within the country.

The Chairman, Nigerian Youth Congress’s Governing Board, Dr. Yakubu Shendam while responding to journalists in an exclusive interview at the event called on the Nigerian youth to shun ethnicity and religious sentiment and rather embrace hard work and unity to achieve a common goal.

In his words, “We are not violent people and we will support Government policies. A lot of programmes were not accessible to the youth because we were not ready but we are now ready which is the reason for this Summit. If we believe in ourselves without segregation, we can take this country. We have power, there is strength in our numbers”, he said.