In commemoration of the country’s 64th Independence Anniversary, the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Union, Chinonso Obasi, stressed the need for government to give greater priority to the welfare of the youth.
The theme “Nigeria@64: The State of Nigerian Youths” is aimed at drawing attention to the need to place the youth at the heart of government concerns.
Obasi noted that some of the challenges the country faced before the conference were still present, stressing the need to address them.
He also urged government to create an enabling environment for youth development.
According to him, providing an enabling environment for every youth will help avert the brain drain “Japa Syndrome”.
“The only way to empower the vast majority of Nigerian youths is to create an enabling environment for all to thrive.
“Revive moribund companies like Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State, Nigeria Refineries, Cement Company of Nigeria in Nkalagu, Ebonyi State, Textile Companies of Nigeria, etc.
“We are concerned about the growing level of hopelessness and lack of an enabling environment for excellence among the youth in Nigeria today.
“Youths surviving in Nigeria today is ironically like a camel going through the eye of a needle. What is the future that awaits me in Nigeria?
“Ranging from education, economy, security, and youth empowerment,” he said.
On education, Obasi commended President Bola Tinubu’s innovative initiative of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
However, he stressed that with the current economic situation, the loan given to students would not be sufficient to achieve the purpose for which it was intended.
“While we thank President Tinubu for the innovative NELFUND, it is imperative that the N500,000 loan to students, in an economy where a litre of petrol is sold at over N1,500 in some parts of Nigeria, is inadequate.
“Universities increasing tuition fees to over N400,000, student dormitories being death traps and lack of job opportunities after graduation are making NELFUND’s good intentions futile,” he lamented.
He called on the government to address security challenges in the country as youths can no longer travel freely without budgeting for emergencies.
“Most of the insecurities in Nigeria are politically motivated. For instance, in Zamfara State, the large gold deposit is the major cause of insecurity through the activities of economic saboteurs.
“Similarly, in Imo State, over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s gas deposits are there and the economic sabotage of this resource is the major cause of insecurity in the state,” he explained.
He therefore said the Union had identified solutions to some of the challenges facing Nigerian youths.
He added that in the coming days, the Union would visit relevant stakeholders to highlight these solutions.
It would be recalled that NYU was founded on October 1, 2020 and has over 49 sister organizations as affiliates of the organization.
The 2014 National Conference was convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
About 500 Nigerian delegates sat for five months to deliberate on the political system and the future of Nigeria.
Some of the recommendations of the conference include the abolition of the current system of 774 local governments – in a bid to save money and reduce corruption. States could then set up their own local systems, the creation of 18 new states – equally distributed across the country. It was also suggested that states wishing to merge could do so under certain conditions.
Other recommendations include reducing the share of national revenue going to the federal government and increasing the share allocated to the states, a change to the presidential system of government combining the presidential and parliamentary systems.
It was suggested that the president should select the vice president from among the legislators, and that power should be shared and rotated at all levels of government between the North and the South and among the six geopolitical zones of the country, among others.