2019: Northern youth groups resolve to ensure peaceful elections

Barely 60 days to the 2019 polls, Youths in the Northern Region have resolved to champion the campaign for peaceful elections in the country.
The Youths under the auspices of a Joint Action Committee of Northern Youths Associations made the resolve at the end of a two-day conference in Kaduna.
The resolution was part of a communique issued at the end of the event, signed by Murtala Abubakar, Convener of the Youths Conference.
The conference drew participants from the 19 Northern states and Abuja,
“Northern Youths have been left behind in all aspects of development and it is time for the youth to reorganize themselves in the path of the founding fathers of the region and be proactive in galvanizing efforts to unite and fight for the common good of all.
“With the large population of the Northern youths, they are in a vantage position to bring about the desired change with rippled positive impact that can address the gross unemployment, poverty and collapse of the value system as well as social exclusion ravaging the region.”
The participants said the predicament of the youths in the region was as a result of years of misplacement of priority, poor budgetary allocation and government neglect.
They said the situation had affected not only the youth but human capital development and other sectors in the region.
“Therefore Northern Youth should begin to actively engage leaders at all levels to ensure they get fair share of budgetary allocation to MDAs with direct impact on the youths.
“Youths should rise to the occasion, appreciate political power and face the challenges to take the leadership of this country through active participation in politics.”
They also urged the youth to pay more attention to education, which is key to the success and growth of regions.
“The Northern youth must improve themselves to enable them take their rightful position.
“Youths should endeavour to be innovative and self-reliant so as to be part of the productive force that can influence positive changes in the society.
“The youth should rise above ethno-religious sentiments and take informed as well as independent decisions in the recruitment of the political leaders in our country using realistic performance indicators mechanisms.
“Our youth must take interest in governance, budgetary process and provisions and earnestly begin to interrogate how leaders implement projects and how they spend the nation’s resources ensure balance infrastructure development across the country.
“Politics of ideology, equity and integrity should be our guiding principles to tackle the growing monster of money politics,”the conference resolved.”
According to the communique, participants believe there is hope for the youth to be out of the doldrums soon.
“But this requires resilience, focus and strategic actionable framework that will lead the northern youth out of the woods.”
They also canvass the inclusion of
“People Living with Disability, mostly youths, who constitute about 15% of the population.
“Therefore all efforts should be made to ensure their inclusion in all aspects of governance to enable them contribute their quarter towards the development and emancipation of the youths from their present predicament.
“Youth leaders must engage in massive awareness and campaigns through various media platforms to mobilise the youth towards becoming politically conscious and patriotic towards bringing about the desired socio-economic and political change.
“The leaders must also organise conferences and rallies at Zonal, States and community levels to sensitise the youths to take interest in political activities.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that more than 300 Youths drawn from the 19 Northern States and the FCT participated in the conference.
Other participants were drawn from Women groups, Peoples with Special Needs and Student Unions.