Following the EndSARS protest against police brutality and bad governance, Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has called for the implementation of policies that will engender youth and gender inclusion in governance as panacea to youth restiveness in the country.
The Governor stated this at the parley of South-East leaders with a high powered delegation from the presidency led by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, in Enugu yesterday.
In a series of tweets making known his position, Ikpeazu proposed convocation of youths from the different critical groups of the society to draft a framework for the country of their desire.
He also warned of possible implosion if the prevailing tension in the country is not “carefully and professionally” handled and advised leaders from across the country not to “be intemperate with their utterances and commentary.
In his words; “Leaders of the Southeast region met with a high powered delegation from the Presidency led by Prof Ibrahim Gambari in Enugu where burning national issues affecting the South East were discussed.
“In my vote of thanks, we commended the responsiveness the federal government demonstrated in the strength and character of their delegation. I opined that the Federal Government must commission a deep study of the remote and immediate causes of tensions in our polity which they must view as a ticking time bomb that must be carefully and professionally detonated!
“Such a study will suggest tailored remedies and sustainable strategies to rebuild our nation psychologically, first, and to build mutual trust and loyalty to our dear country. To achieve this, I suggested the following steps:
“We must address youth and gender inclusion in governance through, among other strategies, appointments and compulsory LG elections accross the nation. One can only imagine the impact 774 LG chairmen, 774 deputies,, 774 leaders of council and thousands of councilors and their aides, all between ages of 18 and 35, will have on them, their psyche and the nation. They’ll surely learn the challenges of governance and learn the ropes too!
“We can even convoke a youth based team drawn from our states, CSO, media, unions and citizens within and outside our country to draft a framework for the Nigeria they desire. We also need to domesticate the various youth empowerment initiatives to engender deeper and cross sectional participation.
“We, the leaders, must as well refrain from intemperate utterances and commentary on sensitive issues. Finally, we must not continue the drain on the natural resources that buffer the bonds of nationhood.
“These steps among others, I believe will help address some of the issues agitating the minds of our youths”
-Vanguard
