If we must progress as a Nation, we must create room for our Youths- Says Convener
Bight News Correspondent reports that, the Nigerian youths under the umbrella of a social group known as Social Patriotic Youths Initiative (SPY-IN) has on Thursday called on the Nigerian government at all levels for youth inclusion in governance, at its first inaugural congress/press conference which took place at the Oaks Hotel in Ughelli Town, Delta State.
The inaugural Congress which was tagged‘ Youth Inclusiveness in Governance, a step to national Progress and Development’ attracted a host of well meaning youths from around the nation.
While addressing press men immediately after the congress, the convener; Comrade Efe Ekure expressed exuberance and utmost happiness seeing the turnout of different calibres of youths who graced the occasion, noting that it does not only signified the success of the programme, but also created the greatest synergy of youths that would go down the history of Nigeria.
“ A programme that will go down in history of our great nation (Nigeria) as one of the greatest synergy of youths with the sole aim to rescue the nation from mediocre leadership and the age long tradition of recycling archaic politicians who have led for decades without results took place today in Delta State.” He said.
Comrade Efe Ekure also noted in a statement made available to newsmen, that if Nigeria as a nation must progress, government must create an enabling room for the youths in key decision making issues, adding that the youths constitute a greater percentage of Nigerian population.
“If we must progress as a Nation, we must create room for our Youths” He said
“ Nigerian Youth, demographically constitutes majority bearing in mind the reality that over 55% of the total population of the country are youths.”He added
The statement reads in full:
*A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD IN UGHELLI CITY OF DELTA STATE BY THE NIGERIAN YOUTHS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF SOCIAL PATRIOTIC YOUTHS INITIATIVE (SPY-IN) ON A CLARON CALL TAGGED: YOUTHS INCLUSIVENESS IN GOVERNANCE, A STEP TO NATIONAL PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT.*
Gentle men of the Press,
Fellow Comrades,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am Comrade Efe Ekure.
Convener, Social Patriotic Youths Initiative (SPY-IN).
It gladdens my heart to join with you today in what will go down in history of our great nation (Nigeria) as one of the greatest synergy of Youths with the sole aim to rescue their nation from mediocre leadership and the age long tradition of recycling archaic politicians who have led for decades without results. With great joy, uncommon sense of patriotism and hope, I join force with youths of like minds today to demand for the establishment of a truly integrated nation that will stand tall among great Nations of the World.
NIGERIA YOUTHS are today challenged more than ever before to rise up from slumber and work assiduously to enhance productiveness in all cadre of our nation. More than ever,there is a compelling need to wake that sleeping giant in us. There is the need for value reorientation, unquestionable industry and drive to improve our stake in fostering the productiveness we seek in our nation.
The Nigerian Youth, demographically constitutes majority bearing in mind the reality that over 55% of the total population of the country are youths.
By quantitative analysis, the population of the Nigerian youths doubles that of the entire population of Ghana, surpass that of South Africa and even bigger than the population of the United Kingdom.
No doubt, if the Nigerian Youth population is to be a nation, it would have been one of the largest Nation in numerical strength.
However, despite the foregoing, the Nigerian Youth have, since our nation’s return to democratic rule in 1999 been kept on the wings and fringes of leadership which has kept them under the deceptive notion that they are the “Leaders of tomorrow”.
Without mincing words, this notion has been more of a cause than an assurance of a better future for the Nigerian youth even as it has kept many citizens from the understanding that Nigerian Youths are educated, competent and prepared for the task of today’s leadership and if given the opportunity, the Nigerian Youth possess the capacity to lead and produce excellent result when given the chance.
There is a great need for the Federal, State and Local Governments to create enabling environment for Youth development. This, undeniably remains a sine qua non for a progressive and peaceful nation. We need more productive youths in our politics and key decision making positions to enhance a working and productive nation.
A call for productive Youths inclusiveness in governance and policy formulation is a clarion call that will lift our nation from the quagmire of unproductiveness and balkanisation of economic strangulation to a limelight of greatness.
If we must progress as a Nation, we must create room for our Youths, we must involve youths in key decision making, not just Youths but youths with green ideas and integrity. Any Nation that fails to nurture and involve youths in her policy formulation processes is doomed to fail. Nigeria is a typical example of such nations. No wonder our progress is stunted and growth retarded. Indeed, it is a sad narrative, that our leaders in positions of authority will keep recycling same old politicians that have failed us as a people. We cannot take it as Youths of this great nation, we cannot accept a lopsided, failed, and corruption bathed nation as a legacy, a legacy we cannot proudly bequeath to our next generation. There is no better time to change the narrative than now.
In the light of the above, we believe that democracy signifies the representation of people in governance and also a game of number. So representation in a democracy is expected to mirror the demographic composition of the population. By this understanding, we wish to affirm that not only does Youth constitute demographic majority in Nigeria, but also a distinct social category and as such, ought to be given its rightful representation in the leadership.
From the forgoing, the importance of Youths in Government and Governance cannot be over emphasized, hence, we are calling on our current Leaders, Politicians, Stakeholders to adopt and implement the United Nations Policy that supports 30 percent youth inclusion in governance. This implies having 30 percent of Nigerian Youths in all political appointments at Federal, State and Local Government Levels.
We also use this platform to beseech all well meaning Nigeria Youths both within and in diaspora to come together to plan, drive out polices, programmes, activities as well as build ourselves to take over the leadership of Our Nation by ensuring we achieve excellence and productivity in our careers, education, businesses and Work Life generally.
More importantly, it behooves on us as Youths to imbibe the culture of strategically improving ourselves as a necessary tool for making significant contributions to nation building. We must always think of what we will do to make Nigeria a better place and not what Nigeria will do for us.
A famous philosopher once said, “Until we come together as a people and think of what we can offer to our society to make a difference, we will continue to rob the future of the next generation”. We owe it a duty to individually and collectively contribute positively towards the success of our various local government, State and our own Nation at large.
We must always remember that Nigeria was founded out of greatness, that we are a great people. Therefore, we must reinvent our priorities with particular emphasis on restoring those lost values and unique attributes that guided our founding fathers who, despite differences in tribes and tongues, culture, religious backgrounds and social orientation, stood together in brotherhood to build a nation worth calling our own.
Today, we urge ourselves to always remember, that “Young people are not just the future of Nigeria. They are Nigeria today.”
God bless our most ever dynamic Nigerian Youths
God bless Delta State!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed:
Comr Efe Ekure
Convener, Social Patriotic Youths Initiative”
In attendance at the congress were Comrade Marcus Ekure, the President of Urhobo Progress Youths Association, UPYA; Comr. (Engr.) Fuludu Raphael, Adviser, National Youth Council of Nigeria; Comrade Ochuko Okagbare, National President, Urhobo Peculiar Advocates (UPA) and Comrade Kelly Efemena Umukoro, National Secretary General, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Youth Wing, Worldwide.
