Brave Dickson
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. George Owunari has charged the youths of the Niger Delta region to get ready to take over governance, adding that the newly amended Electoral Act had created such opportunities for them.
The VC said this on Thursday during the 3rd Extraordinary Plenary Session and Youth Discourse of the Niger Delta Youth Parliament (NDYP) in Port Harcourt.
The theme for the event was: “The Amended Electoral Act; Leveraging on its Gains for Youth Participation in Governance.”
Prof Owunari maintained that the current Electoral Act had given room for youth inclusiveness in governance, noting that even INEC does not have an exercise for not conducting free, fair and credible elections in the country.
Delivering the keynote lecture, the Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Hon. Hope Ikiriko urged the youths to stop belittling themselves.
He said, “the youths of today are more knowledgeable than the youths of yesterday because of technology.
“The youths of today know a lot of things than our leaders in governance. But the problem is that the youths are not prepared to lead.
“You must start now to organize your conduct and thinking if you want to be in leadership.”
Early in their separate speeches, the NDYP Speaker, Ifon Daniel and the Local Organising Committee Chairman, Abibo Samson said the platform is aimed at equipping the youths with the needed knowledge in governance.
“We want our youths to see the intellectual struggle for political power as the tool we need not violence.
“This platform has what it takes to build the calibre of youths that will give the right leadership to this country,” they said.
Our correspondent reports that the event was attended by security agencies, clerics, academicians, politicians and youths across the Niger Delta region among others.
