The Plateau Youth Council in Mikang Local Government Area of Plateau State has inaugurated the executives of its four districts, marking a major milestone for youth leadership in the region.
The event also featured the launch of the Soepding Unity Connect initiative, aimed at fostering unity and collaboration among the youth in the local government.
The inauguration, which included representatives from Montol, Piapung, Koenoem, and Garkawa districts, was presided over by the Executive Chairman of Mikang Local Government Council, Hon. Benard Soepding Alkali, PhD, FCNA.
In his keynote address titled “Spearheading the Unity Project by Practical Participation with the Youths for the Realization of the Mikang of Togetherness,” Hon. Alkali emphasized the importance of unity as a cornerstone for the development of Mikang.
“By the decision of God and of the good people of Mikang Local Government Area, I no longer need to introduce myself,” he began, welcoming participants to the event.
“Let me most profoundly congratulate all the executives of Plateau Youth Council from the districts of Montol, Piapung, Koenoem, and Garkawa on your inauguration on this very day of history. You are executives exactly at the right time that your contributions are needed for the collective good of Mikang people, and I therefore entreat you to light up your candle of patriotism for the task ahead.”
Quoting Winston Churchill, Alkali stated: “The price of greatness is responsibility.” He added, “The greatness of Mikang relies on the collective responsibility we can take as a people, including the Plateau Youth Council officials of both the local government and of our various districts. After this inauguration, I will be pleased to see the active contributions of our youths that bear the potency of putting us collectively on the path of greatness.”
Addressing the Soepding Unity Symposium, he remarked, “This initiative actually baffles me as to the drive behind the coining of the theme of the program because of the relevance of unity to societal development and of how the topic was joined with my name. I am sure it is due to my passion for the unity of Mikang.”
He further explained, “My concern about the advancement of Mikang predates my emergence as the Chairman of Council, and another point that has over time been of major interest to me is the unity of our people. I approved this program because of the enormity of relevance I attach to unity, but my desire for the peace and unity of Mikang will depend greatly on the readiness of the youth to embrace the same, and this program will offer us the reorienting opportunity.”
The Chairman detailed initiatives under his leadership to foster unity, including a high-powered need assessment committee, attendance at tribal association meetings, and collaborative sessions with former chairmen and deputies.
“In a deliberate milestone achievement for our unity, I called all the former chairmen and their deputies to seek that we collectively brainstorm to advance the course of the Mikang project devoid of our party, tribal, and religious variations,” he explained.
Highlighting a recent event led by his wife, Alkali said, “Recently, the office of the first lady of Mikang also got our endorsement and support to organise the end-of-year children festival that brought about the presence of children from the four districts to Tungkus to unite together and celebrate. My wife also empowered selected widows in critical need and the wives of some politicians drawn across the eighteen state wards of Mikang.”
Emphasising the importance of unity, Alkali quoted Hellen Keller: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
He concluded, “My people, we must realize the Mikang of togetherness as the name of our local government stands, and I, therefore, make bold to declare that the Mikang of togetherness has begun today.”
The Soepding Unity Connect project, which drew inspiration from Hon. Alkali’s dedication to fostering unity, was praised as a platform to build stronger ties among the youth.
Reflecting on the project’s essence, Alkali echoed Martin Luther King Jr.: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
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