President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Solomon Adodo has said that Nigerian youths must unite and be orderly to ensure the actualisation of a better Nigeria.
He said NYCN as a youth body is making several efforts in ensuring the presently polarised Nigeria’s youth house is put in order.
Adodo who made the remarks while speaking with newsmen in his Abuja office on Thursday stressed that it is difficult for the country to develop if the disorderliness, discord amongst youths is not addressed.
Asked what his key programme will be as the new President of NYCN, he replied, “First of all, if I want to say we have programmes in place, I would have lied; because we have a chaotic house. Disorderliness has been what held sway hitherto. Fortunately, we have come on board to correct that.
“Now, if we begin to talk of programmes; would I start mentioning the programmes on reforming the thinking of the youths? Would I start mentioning the programmes on reconciliation and rebuilding? Now, the programmes are going to be as they emerge. Because when you have a disorderly house, these ones spiralling in this direction, and the others spiralling the other direction, the first thing you would do is bring order. So, the first task, I will not just call it a programme; it is a task; it is a duty to put the youth house in order.
“The young man or woman in one remote village in Sokoto State; that man or woman in Bama, who was hit by Boko Haram, how are we going to reform, rejuvenate, revive him/her? That fellow in Anka in Zamfara State, who was attacked by bandits and who had his community overrun, lost siblings, who lost relations, how are we going to bring him to the table? That woman in Wukari, whose daughter was raped, the young lady there, how are we going to purge her of the bitterness she has? Our brothers in the Niger Delta, whose communities have been depleted, and abused, denigrated, degraded by oil spillage, pollution and so many other factors, how are we going to appeal to them to first embrace peace? The young man in the South East, who feels aggrieved and marginalized, who tells you that the Igbos are no longer part of Nigeria, and they cry secession, we want IPOB, how can we reach to the inner recesses of their mind, and build confidence in them again? In the South West, several youth engage in cybercrime (yahoo-yahoo), killings for money rituals is the order of the day, how can we reach out to them and let them know this is not the pathway.
“There is anomy. There is a disorderliness. There is chaos. We are in a madhouse. We are very conscious of this task, that is why in the first instance, we jumped into the boiling pot; so that we can put orderliness. We have come to bring orderliness. That is the first task.
Speaking on how he intends to actualise a better Nigeria after uniting Nigerians, Adodo explained that he intends to partner with relevant government agencies and stakeholder publics.
He said, “Thankfully, I do not need to reintroduce Mr. Sunday Dare to anybody. He is a man who has cut his teeth on the plate of excellence anywhere he goes. A man with focus, a man who delivers the goods. So we have that strong faith that once we are through with the internal cleansing mechanisms, we can now call him and say, our big brother, we are here. These and these and these are what we need. There are statutory roles that the Ministry of Youth should play for the National Youth Council and for the broad spectrum of Nigerian youths.
“Aside from the federal ministry of youth, the National Youth Council of Nigeria is not just limited to the federal ministry of youth. The National Youth Council of Nigeria is to operate in the same order as the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Now, you are doing that with respect to addressing the felt needs of the Nigerian youth.
We are still expected to partner with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. What are the innovations and emerging trends in agriculture? What roles can you play, and how can we go about this and that? We are also expected to partner with the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Adodo noted that the ruling government has been making very sincere efforts.
“ One thing you cannot take away from President Muhammadu Buhari is his fervent knack for integrity. He has been known for over three to four decades since he launched into the leadership limelight of our country, Nigeria. That integrity, you cannot take it away from him. He means well for Nigeria. He is a true patriot. But that is not enough to develop Nigeria.
“Mr. President has good intentions but the groundwork is not there. Only that Nigerian youths have not been prepared adequately. Mr. President has been putting enough, putting this policy, that policy… several policies, programmes and projects have come up. We have had the Anchor Borrowers’ Program yielding results, but the results have not been optimal. We have recorded progress. We have. Let’s be frank with ourselves. We have recorded progress. The government has recorded progress. We are not here to praise-sing government neither are we here to condemn the government. We are here to balance issues. “
