ASABA/Nigeria: Youths have been charged to get involved in politics and help in promoting good governance and developmental leadership as a way of collective responsibility towards taking Nigeria to that positive level of economic and political stability.
The call was made during a town hall meeting on the theme: “Promoting Youth Inclusiveness In Governance for Development”, organized by the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, on April 19, 2018, at Nelrose Hotel in Asaba, Delta State.
Speaking at the event, the Honourable Commissioner of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Oghenekaro Ilolo said that youths had got to take their destinies in their hands by getting involved in political activities, which he said revolves around every affair of life.
The Youth Commissioner who was represented by an Assistant Director in the Ministry, Mr Charles Tambo admitted that youths had suffered from failure of leadership and need not isolate themselves from politics and governance, but get involved through bringing their youthful talents and potentials to bear.
Others who spoke included a senior lecturer with the College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Dr Pius Ogudo and the Delta State Coordinator of the Ambassadors for Development and Aids Initiative, Comrade Chuks Okpunor.
Dr. Ogudo stressed that the youths of today were products of a faulty foundation, quoting that “If the foundation be faulty, what can the righteous do”.
He however, admonished the youth participants not to gravitate in that past error but to correct it by showing capacity to follow and lead.
Meanwhile, Okpunor posited that the most challenging issue with leadership is the poverty of the mind. He then proffered serious mental and moral evaluation 3of the mind through engagement in a specialized knowledge, as a way of achieving Leadership Responsibility in the society.
Earlier, the Convener of the YIAGA programme, Eghaghe Joy had elucidated on what the initiative was set out to achieve, challenging the youths to brace up in their political leadership prowess, stressing that they were not too young to run.
According to her, “This Town Hall Meeting is designed to educate the public on the need to mainstream youth in political leadership and decision making processes by providing a platform for young people to speak about issues relating to democracy and how policies/laws can improve youth political inclusion.”
