|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Participants at the workshop
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
The need for a purposeful creation of a platform for young people who are often excluded from development programmes, governance and decision-making processes in order to build their capacity though political mentoring and advocacy.
The assertion was made on Tuesday by the North-East Programme Manager of International Alert, Mary Kachollom Hwyere during a 2-day Consultative Workshop on Framing A Youth Policy Advocacy Agenda, held at Hazibal Suites, Bauchi.
Mary Kachollom Hwyere gave the opening remarks on behalf of the Country Director of International Alert who was unavoidably absent during the important event.
She said that, “Among other things, climate of this workshop will be the the development of a Youth Policy Advocacy Agenda, and the establishment and inauguration of the Yong parliamentarian Forum (YPF) at the state level” .
According to her, “This will be a big step through which young persons across Bauchi state will have voice and be part of the decision making process” .
She lamented that according to UNDP global parliamentary report, Globally, only 1.65 percent of parliamentarians are young people in their 20s and 11.87 percent are people in their 30s saying, “this staggering statistics underpins why we are all seated here today” .
“You will all agree with me that there is increasingly a great appetite by young people to engage in development efforts, governance, and decision-making processes and to understand the ways they can strategically engage with their leaders and representatives at all levels (be it community level, LGA level, state or Federal level)”, she added.
Mary Kachollom added that,” We believe that democracies are stronger if parliaments are representatives of all groups and voices in society especially the youths who constitute more than half of the entire population”.
She stressed that, “However, for this to happen, young people will have to be ready to be mentored, properly organized and also be willing to take up responsibilities and be accountable for every action and inaction that will occur in the course of performing their expected responsibility”.
According to her, “As a peace building organization, we believe that one of the peace factors is power. This refers to how leadership is provided, how people inter-relate, and how they belong (inclusion). These are indicators that if not well managed can degenerate to not violent conflicts”.
“Before I take my seat, I will like to leave us with this quote from Franklin Roosevelt, former US President, “We cannot always build the future for our youths, but we can build our youths for the future” I believe that our overall aim of seating here this morning are efforts towards building our youths for the future”.
Also speaking, Adebowale Olorunmola, Country Director of Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) said that the organization is collaborating with International Alert to bring young people together with young members of the National Assembly, on the platform of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF).
He said that it was meant to interface and share innovative ideas, strategies and partnership that would improve the effectiveness of young people’s effort to actively engage with policy makers towards shaping youths inclusive policy outcomes.
Represented by Sola Folayan, the Programme Manager, he stressed that,
“This event was also to support the sustainability of the Young Parliamentarians Forum by entrenching it in State Parliaments as well as support the implementation of the Forum’s Action Plan”.
The action plans according to him were designed to, among other goals: improve access of young persons to Government and Decision making process: Enhance participation of young people in the democratic process of Nigeria: Enhance the inclusion of vulnerable groups in Governance and Decision making; mentor young persons to leadership positions; strengthen the support of young persons safety, security and peace in Nigeria, and; enable the capacity building and empowerment young persons in the country.
“We envisage this event will enable inclusion of Nigerian youths in governance and decision making processes, particularly at the grassroots. It will also enable the cascading of structure and activities of the YPF, from the national to state assemblies”, he added.
Adebowale Olorunmola said that YPF currently exists and functions in Nigeria, only at the National Assembly with only one state chapter in Enugu State, as a pressure group, giving voice and support to youth-interest activities, bills and motions.
He expressed confidence that extending the impact and activities of YPF beyond the Centre, to States, where majority of Nigerians are domiciled, will galvanize the inclusion of male and female youths in governance and decision-making processes.
“Today WFD is very delighted to support the YPF to have its first ever in North Nigeria and the second chapter in the nation. Choosing Bauchi as the first state in the North was quite easy as Bauchi is known as a progressive parliament and it is led by the RT. Speaker who is also recognized as a politician with astute ideas that has contributed to the 6 development agenda of Nigeria”, he added.
The WFD Country Director concluded saying, “WFD congratulates the new members of the Young Parliamentarians Forum in Bauchi and is also encouraging them not to relent but do all they can to ensure that the voice of young people, both male and female in particular is amplified through them” .
WFD is the UK public body dedicated to supporting democracy around the world and supports inclusive and effective governance that strengthens policymaking. accountability. representation and citizen participation, in order to fulfil its vision of the universal establishment of legitimate and effective, multi-party, representative democracy.
