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HIJACKED!!!

“President Olusegun Obasanjo is the best president from the south of Sahara to the north of limpopo”

Comment by youth at the presidential youth forum on agriculture.

Do you know that the presidency has allocated a sum of 1 billion Naira for the development of young people towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals? Furthermore, 50% of this allocation would be directed towards youths in agriculture-This is in accordance with presidential directives.In order to effectively reach youths in agriculture through this initiative, the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs Youth Development and Special Duties, set-up a presidential youth forum, so that young people in Nigeria can meet with president to make recommendations to the government on how the allocated money can be gainfully employed.

Unfortunately ,some youths who are suppose to see this as a means of engaging the government turned it into a songspiration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and used it as a means of achieving their own selfish purpose.
Around the world, young people are seen as the highly affected but rarely considered group in decision making process. But how do we handle a Nija situation where young people are deliberately involved in decision making and youths under the name National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and National Youth Council and some other political youth platform hijacked the process to serve their selfish purpose of asking for buses, political nomination and request for money (which was given but was not used according to the impression given to the President)

As bad as the forum turned out to be. It made suggestions on unemployment, Nigerian Youth Village(to be named after the president as a means for youth council to collect money from him), nominations of young people to the presidential advisory council on youth and capacity building for youth officers.

The presidential reply to the comments was:
‘If you cannot feed yourself you would be slave to those who feed you’, He also went on to explain that NEEDS II will emphasize job creation, popular participation and value re-orientation and that he agrees with the fact that our educational sector needs reforms which he is working on. He also gave 2million naira for reimbursement of participants which was handled by National Youth Council and fixed 29th of July for a full day Presidential meeting with young people.
July 29th is another day for young people with positive intentions to engage the government, media, private sector and other stakeholders and ensure that our voices are heard at this forum in order to improve the condition and change the lives of youths in Nigeria.
Are we going to allow the sycophants to continue to win with their strategies of hijacking developmental process to achieve their selfish means? Is there a way to involve youths with technical expertise in decision making processes within our country? Are the youths with the know-how ready to drive this nation into a place where expertise and information if the greatest raw material?
These questions and many more filled my mind as l walked out of state house after settling the problem of impersonation by another youth!

One thing kept ringing in my head; l would rather work, talk and add my quota to changing and developing Nigeria NOW than allow such youths to rule over me when the time comes strongly feel it is time for young professionals out there to rise up to the challenge of developing strategies that would this nation forward…like the president said at the forum “The decision we are making today if for you…,we have very little time left”
Thanks

EwaJesu Asala