Akwa Ibom government, group partner on youth empowerment

The Ibom Development Empowerment Assembly (IDEA), a socio-political non- governmental organisation is to partner with the Akwa Ibom State government to empower youths in the state.

Chairman, Board of Trustees of IDEA, Prof. Alfred Ita, in Uyo, made this known in Uyo, the state capital.The group, made up of academics and businessmen of the state origin said the partnership was based on the shared vision of IDEA and Governor Udom Emmanuel on developing people for self-reliance and financial independence.

“We are determined to assist the state government to achieve set goals of governance,” he said. According to the group, youths that constitute a greater percentage of the population should be engaged in gainful employment, stressing that government should create an enabling environment for jobs creation.

He further explained that the group was on a mission to create the enabling environment for government’s policies and programmes to succeed, adding that, “the laudable policies of government can only be sustained in an atmosphere devoid of violence.”

Ita, a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Uyo, explained that IDEA was founded as a nonprofit organisation with membership drawn from Akwa Ibom people within and outside the country and are committed to advising the state government on how to engage youths to reduce tension in the country.

He added that the group would go the extra mile to re-orientate the youths as strategic partners in the development of the state.“We want them to see government projects as their own and stop antagonising government on projects cited in their communities,” he said.