Stakeholders accuse elite of stifling youth participation in governance

Stakeholders and youths from Edo Central Senatorial District, yesterday, accused the elite of frustrating youths in taking up roles in the leadership and governance of the country.

They canvassed an all-inclusive governance structure that could guarantee the prospects and engagement of youths in nation-building with a view to changing the country’s narrative.

This was part of submissions stakeholders canvassed at a seminar with the theme: Relevance and Prospect of Youth Engagement in Nation Building in Edo State.

Delivering a paper titled: Relevance, Prospect for Youths’ Participation In Politics, a broadcaster and motivational speaker, Tony Abolo urged the youths to actively get involved in the politics of their communities.

Abolo, who noted that most youths had failed because they wanted to start from the top, said the country’s leadership had denied them an adequate place in government urging the youths to rise up to the occasion by taking up elective and political positions with the intention to win and occupy public offices.

“I have no apologies in advocating for a youthful takeover of this country. Nigeria is being run by people with old ideas and this should be changed,” he said.

Speaking, Executive Director, Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR), Solomon Okoduwa, expressed hope that the future was bright and assured that the youth would live up to expectations in delivering good governance if given roles.

He appealed to the youths to stand up and defend the future they desire and charged all stakeholders to continue to exert their different levels of influence for the empowerment of the youths.

On his part, Convener and Edo State Coordinator of Youth for Peace and Development in the Niger Delta, Comrade Sylvester Inegbenehi, while explaining the group’s focus, said it was aimed at bridging the gap between government and the governed by ensuring peace and sustainable development in the region.