TOPIC:
-"2015 elections-Youth as Part of the Political Leadership for the 21st
century"
Fellow compatriots,
I acknowledge the Special Guest of Honour: His Excellency Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Executive
Governor of Edo state of Nigeria, the
Royal father of the Day,- His Royal Highness Oba of Benin Kingdom, the Guest
of Honor-Comrade Abdulahi Abdumagid President National Youth Council Of
Nigeria, the Chief Host-Comrade Ekpen Uyigue Edo state Chairman NYCN, I acknowledge
the Governors ,the state Commissioners and leaders of the six states of the
south – South Region of Nigeria, students, Market women, diplomats, Traditional
Rulers, members of the Road Transport Association across the Six regions, Artesian
and the youth of the entire South- South Region of Six states of Nigeria.
Important dignitaries and the large presence of youth from across Nigeria in
attendance and all protocols observed.
I welcome you to one
of the greatest events that will change the entire fortunes of the South- South
Region and the Affairs of Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa for good, which is today Lecture rightly Tagged - "2015 elections-Youth as
Part of the Political Leadership for the 21st century"
I thank the organizers of this event
for inviting me as Keynote Speaker: which
is the status usually reserved for governors, Presidents, Ministers and great statements
and sages of the Human Race and I am highly elated that you have yoked me amongst
the sages and pray that your Council will continually be yoked among the best
of best there be among men and women of substantiated realms of creation…
I want to seized the opportunity to thank you for voting en
mass for me in the 2012 Edo State governorship polls adjudged the best election
in Nigerian History where I repre4sented the SDP, locked horns with Comrade
Adams Oshiomhole of APC, Major General Charles Airkhabvere of PDP in one of the
greatest election battle of contemporary times…and also appeal to all the youth
of Edo state and the South South region and the youth of the entire Nigerian federation
to join SDP party as the most progressive
party in Nigeria and Africa that has the interest of the youth and women
development at heart…and here we at SDP posit Youth as the engine of avantgard
and change and the driving force of change in any society of all times had
always been pioneered by the youth. …so our prerogatives is to put the South
South Youth and the Nigerian Youth at the centre and fulcrum of state, zonal ,
REGIONAL AND National development…Whence the Role of Youth in contemporary 21
century in the context of being part of the new leadership in the political
development and becoming of Nigeria, African and the global village cannot be
over emphasized as they are indeed the major issue of the leadership of the
African continent in the 21 century affairs and yonder…and the imperatives of
youth development as a catalyst of positive change of the South South Region
and the Nigerian federations is important for the revolutionary advancement of
this region as a social praxis and inspiration to the attainment of progress
and development of the continental shelf;
as we offer the following observation in support of the need to invest in youth
and women development as the new emerging leadership cadre that would present a
great receipt of achievements if their teaming population, youth and dexterity
are properly harnessed by the African communities….
1] Commendable: We commend the growing awareness of the
African youth and self consciousness and discovery of its great role as an
avantgard of growth and change in that they should play a pivotal role in the
leadership of Nigeria and the African
continent… and commendable also is the new African Youth Charter positioning
the 2015 as the benchmark for adequate integration into the leadership positions
as in fair representation governance of the various Nations of the African continent and we commend its
resolution in 2012 as contained in the youth charter .
we commend the Executive Director General of the African
Union Ms Diamila Zuma, for evolving a set of stratagems by which the African
youth could play more inclusive role in the leadership and becoming of the
African continent focused at 40% inclusion in 2015 as a Millennium goal target..…we
also commend the recent meeting of African youth leaders in Kenya to plan a
post 2015 role for youth of the African continent…and among the problems and
prospects hindering, as well as complimenting the inclusion of youth on the developmental
objectives of the various Nations of Africa and South South region of the
Nigerian federation we posit the followings:
A] Youth Empowerment. B] Redundancies. C] Qualitative
education, d] Problems of HIV/AIDS Pandemic, e] larceny, looting of the
developmental finance that should be invested in youth training by inept kleptomaniac
leadership, f] Peer influence of bad friends affecting youth development…, g]
Lack of developmental finance to invest adequately in grooming the youth and
women for adequate challenging task of leadership, other problems of drugs
addiction in youth, crime, frauds acute divorce cases in marital life. Lack of
adequate skill acquisition centers, like technical colleges.
For Youth Development
to play and achieve the Millennium Development Goals and objectives set by it
leaders worldwide youth development must
focus on new ways of skill acquisition to reduce the high level of redundancies
among the teaming youth of the South South and the sub Saharan region. Likewise
Youth should focus more on self employment
through cultivating the spirit of enterprise , action, planning and
adventure in to business, trade and politics…youth should also severe itself
and warn all its members to keep a way from being used by some unscrupulous politicians as thugs to destabilize the South South
Region as in rigging election in 2015 polls and in crimes, frauds all prevalent
towards polls times all over the world …and through this way they would become
more positively relevant as a mandatory force of political and economic conquest
of the South South Region…
Again the problems of unprotected sex among youth that is
causing the rapid spread of HIV/ AIDS Pandemic and in some countries of the African continent some have over 40 % of their
youth population HIV positive…this is a big time bomb and youth are advised to
zip up and practice the ethic of safe sex …
The scarcity of development finance in the training of the South
South youth in qualitative education and skills acquisition could also be a
great hindrance in the context of fair inclusion of youth into the emerging civil
service and private sector cadres of the
polity that demands special skills including computer literacy…etc…
South South youth has also to work together in order to be relevant
in the emerging political and polit economic roulette of the Nigerian STATE AS
SUCH FOR NOW South South is holding the position of the President of the
Nigeria Federation and reason would prevail that since we have another chance
to retain that position in 2015 all youth of the South South region should work
towards that objective…
We thank you for giving us the opportunity to addressed this
great assembly of South South youth and we pray for the best of everything for
the youth of south south and the Nigerian federation and Africa…Amen
Long Live South South Region, Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria
