IT has been lamented the despite the fact that Bauchi State has 50 per cent of its population to be under the age of 15 years, there is still a noticeable poor policy geared towards youth empowerment and inclusion in decision and policy-making at all levels just as a case was made for 30℅ inclusion of youths in the act of governance.The lamentation was expressed by an NGO, Leadtots and Human Development Services at its consultative meeting with youth groups, Community Youth Networks, Youth-led Civil Society organisations, Ministry of Social Welfare, Youth and Sports, National Orientation Agency, representatives of the Bauchi State House of Assembly among others held in Bauchi which some findings revealed that while the state government claims to be working in favour of the youths, more gaps needed to be filled.
While speaking at a Press Conference held at the NGO’s Office in Bauchi on Thursday, the Programme Officer, Governance, Vashira Ibrahim Saboi, said that the participation of young people in legislative and executive arm of government is relatively low when compared to older citizens.
She said: “Young people are under-represented in the key cabinet and legislative arm of government because as at June 2018, there is no young person between 18 and 35 years in the State Executive Council or among the 31 Members of the House of Assembly.”
Ibrahim Saboi further said that “The state, like others in Nigeria, didn’t prioritise youth development as seen in the merger of the Ministry of Youth with the Ministry of Social Justice and that of Sports. Though the state government claim to have done that to save resources spent on governance, the Youth political Hotspot, however, highlights that such merger reduces the activeness and funding of youth development programmes.”
She added that the NGO has observed that the youth are not well represented in the agencies and Ministries dedicated for their Services because according to her, the Directorate of Youth Development lacks a strategic document for the development and empowerment of the youth in the state, as a result, youth development programmes are not well spread in the state.
The Programme Officer, Governance also said that as partners of the government in development, they are calling for not just a political change but a legislation that clearly articulates youth development agenda in the state.
“We advocate for a legislation that affirms at least 30 % of elective and appointive leadership positions in various Ministries, agencies and committees such as Commissioners, DGs and the Legislature to the youth. Such should be competent young people without a history of manipulation and corruption, she stressed.
“Separation of the Ministry of Youth from Social Welfare and Sports. The law should forbid further merger of the Ministry in future. The youth ministry should always stand out and prioritised considering the sensitivity of the group it serves,” Ibrahim Saboi stated.
She also said that the Youth Political Hotspot of Bauchi State comprising of Youths stakeholders in the state, is not partisan and not opposition to any government but rather partners of the state who seek to collaborate with any government authority to reinstate and develop the youths.
The rising demand for increased youth participation in Nigeria’s political atmosphere, she further said, has gone beyond mere engagement in political rallies and numbers during elections.
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