The Nigerian National Youth Leaders’ Forum has
demanded eight ministerial slots for youths from each geo-political zone
in the country to rejuvenate governance and implement people-oriented
policies.
The forum called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to appoint those who have become grandparents and lack the energy and drive to actualise the programmes of government.
Addressing a news conference at Youth House, Abuja on Tuesday, Chairman of the forum, Charles Ibiang, stated that the youths would not allow themselves to be relegated in the scheme of things, insisting that over 70 million youths voted in the presidential election and most of them voted for the President.
He requested the appointment of eight youths under forty years from each of the six geo-political zones and two ladies to represent the northern and southern zones of the country.
Ibiang lamented the non-appointment of youths into the Federal Executive Council since 1999, noting that most of the FEC members were not passionate about issues affecting the youths.
According to him, successive governments from 1999 to date have designed impressive policies for youth empowerment and development, but none of the successive administrations has been committed to actualising the programmes.
The youth leader said that despite the directive of President Jonathan that each state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party should nominate 10 members for appointment, no youth would be nominated stressing that only former governors, senators and ambassadors would make the list.
Ibiang said, “The youths were in the forefront of the struggle for Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in the pre-1999 era. We stood up against the barrage of threats, intimidation, arrests and detentions, among other acts of dehumanisation from successive military leaderships. Many youths paid the supreme price with their lives.
Today, the victims of some of these struggles have been labelled as touts and are roaming the streets in penury.”
“We, therefore, call on Mr. President to appoint seasoned technocrats that will work vigorously in line with the vision of the transformation agenda because we believe that his re-election was possible because of people’s desire for efficient and quality service delivery to the nation.”
By Agency Reporter Courtesy Of: Punch
The forum called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to appoint those who have become grandparents and lack the energy and drive to actualise the programmes of government.
Addressing a news conference at Youth House, Abuja on Tuesday, Chairman of the forum, Charles Ibiang, stated that the youths would not allow themselves to be relegated in the scheme of things, insisting that over 70 million youths voted in the presidential election and most of them voted for the President.
He requested the appointment of eight youths under forty years from each of the six geo-political zones and two ladies to represent the northern and southern zones of the country.
Ibiang lamented the non-appointment of youths into the Federal Executive Council since 1999, noting that most of the FEC members were not passionate about issues affecting the youths.
According to him, successive governments from 1999 to date have designed impressive policies for youth empowerment and development, but none of the successive administrations has been committed to actualising the programmes.
The youth leader said that despite the directive of President Jonathan that each state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party should nominate 10 members for appointment, no youth would be nominated stressing that only former governors, senators and ambassadors would make the list.
Ibiang said, “The youths were in the forefront of the struggle for Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in the pre-1999 era. We stood up against the barrage of threats, intimidation, arrests and detentions, among other acts of dehumanisation from successive military leaderships. Many youths paid the supreme price with their lives.
Today, the victims of some of these struggles have been labelled as touts and are roaming the streets in penury.”
“We, therefore, call on Mr. President to appoint seasoned technocrats that will work vigorously in line with the vision of the transformation agenda because we believe that his re-election was possible because of people’s desire for efficient and quality service delivery to the nation.”
By Agency Reporter Courtesy Of: Punch
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