By Babatunde Kaka
Eko Hot Blog reports that the lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, and the lawmaker representing Epe Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Abiodun Tobun, have called on youths to actively participate in the development and governance of their country.
The lawmakers made the call in Epe Local Government during the weekend. The duo addressed the 2022 edition of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Youth Conference tagged “The Youths Recalibration and Year 2023: A Time to Re-adjust, Re-engage and Shift.”
Delivering his address, Abiru, who was represented by the NYCN Coordinator, Lagos Branch, Comrade Bilamin Olalekan Oba, acknowledged the significance of youths to Nigeria’s growth and development.
The lawmaker, who highlighted his contributions to youth development, promised to continue to do more to invest in the youths across the senatorial district.
“The youth demography is very important for us to pay more attention to. Failure to give the best in the youth constituency means that we are not preparing for the future. This is why the ‘build the youth, build the nation’ slogan makes a whole lot of meaning to him,” he said.
“He [Abiru] has in his arsenal, several programmes specially designed for the youths such as the Bursary 600 scheme for brilliant scholars in tertiary institutions, the Senator Abiru Innovation Lab (SAIL) for tech-savvy youths, the Teachers Fellowship for educators, and others.”
Abiru, who hailed the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and President Muhammadu Buhari, sought the support of the youths to ensure the party’s success in the 2023 general elections.
Tobun, on the other hand, counselled the youths to shun all forms of violence and corruption.
The Lagos assembly member from Epe, who was represented by Engineer Adebote Monday, said the young people must be the change they want.
“Sometimes, we accuse our leaders that they are corrupt but it starts from us. I am a business owner and I do not work with the government. We keep employing youths every day and we sack them because of corruption,” he said.
“As a student or youth, if you engage yourself in research, you’ll be thinking about how to develop the country by proffering solutions to the myriad of problems bedeviling us.”
On his part, the NYCN Lagos branch chairman, Comrade Olalekan Billiamin Oba, hailed Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, for aiding youth development across the state.
He also appealed to the youths to collect their voter cards and vote for APC candidates in 2023.
The programme closed with a panel session about the role of youths beyond the 2023 elections.
The panelists, who include Comrade Giwa Olasupo (GMO), South-West Vice President of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NCN); Mr. Babatunde Kaka, Eko Hot Blog Freelancer, and Lecturer at Lagos State University of Education, Michael Otedola Campus, Epe; Comrade Omotola Giwa-Moore, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Epe Local Government Chairman, and Ambassador Giwa Omotomiwa, Epe’s first female Divisional Ambassador, IBILE Youths Ambassadors, resolved that youths must be strategic in being armed with the viable weapons of competence and political influence to attain the core leadership positions.
They also encouraged local politics, describing it as efficient and a launch pad to clinch political leadership positions.
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