Plateau State Youth Council (PYC) held the Inauguration of new Executives at the Azi Nyako Youth Centre, Jos. Today 22nd May, 2017.
The
Plateau state Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong was also in attendance to
witness the Inauguration and encourage the new executives. Read Governor Lalong’s speech and See more
photos after the cut…
ADDRESS OF THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF
PLATEAU STATE, RT. HON. SIMON BAKO LALONG AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE PLATEAU STATE
YOUTH COUNCIL (PYC) ON MONDAY, 22ND MAY, 2017 AT THE AZI NYAKO YOUTH
CENTRE, DADIN KOWA
PROTOCOL
Today’s event is
historic in the sense that it marks the formal assemblage of the Youth of
Plateau State under a common platform, for the first time in more than a
decade. This Assembly speaks volume on the power of unity in the pursuit of a
common goal.
I recall with nostalgia
the days of our youth activism and how we looked forward every week to the
Thursday meeting of the Larger House. Leading the pack of vibrant youth
advocates and stakeholders on the Plateau, whose desire was to see to the
proper formulation and implementation of policies and programmes of Action for
the Youth was a thing of delight.
This nostalgic feeling
was what nurtured my conviction and drove my passion to see to the speedy
resolution of the issues in contest, that led to the litigation that subsisted
for a decade.
It is no doubt
regrettable that politics, egocentric and ethnocentric self serving interest,
played a critical role in destroying the very fabric of our unity as Youth. I
dare to say we lost the zest and avidity that characterized our youthful spirit
and we became pawns on the altar ego of politics, thereby allowing ourselves to
be manipulated by those who saw the decimation of our potentials as a united
force, a political strategy for their uncensored leadership of our State. We
all have seen where the absence of our voice and united action has brought us to
and I am sure our resolve and commitment to the reconciliatory process that
midwifes our arrival at the current destination, is a testimony of our renewed
commitment to restore back the glory of the Plateau Youth Council (PYC).
I commend the
Leadership of the Larger House under Chief Michael Makwal, for the efforts that
kept what was left of the Youth Council until its full resuscitation now. I
must humbly say our Government prides itself as having lived its promise of
reviving the PYC, with the quick peaceful resolution of contending issues and
the conduct of Elections across all levels, leading us now to the inauguration
of the newly constituted Executive Council.
I congratulate all the
elected officials of the PYC from the Districts to the Local Government and
State Councils. Your individual and collective efforts in ensuring a seamless
and stormless election, that accommodate all under the principle of zoning and
rotation, has shown that this time-tested principle of give and take which has
nurtured our political experience as a State is worthy of preservation. Our Government is a product of this donation
and it remains a potent means through which representational and developmental
injustices, would be addressed in our public space.
I have listened with
keen interest to the speech of the Chairman of the Larger House and the Inaugural
Address of the new PYC Chairman. All the
issues raised are matters worthy of attention of Government, even though a
large part of it would be pursued by the Youth under the self governing
structure which we have now established. This is so that we can help to
preserve the independence of the Youth Council to regulate and govern herself,
while we give the necessary support for the Council to achieve her mandate.
Our Rescue
Administration is very conversant with the Universal declaration on Youth
Policies and the Programme of Action for the Youth as adopted on the 12th
of December, 2016. The Commission for Social Development of the United Nations
has outlined different initiatives based on inputs from Member States for
mainstreaming youth participation into policy and legislative formulation. These
practices will guarantee robust and consistent cross sectoral efforts that will
make for the right focus on gender equality and empowerment for the girl child
and young women, marginalized groups and make for inclusive participation on
all programme of Action for the Youth. Your desire to have a Youth Summit to
review past Youth policies and have a Youth Development Plan is therefore welcomed;
we will support this initiative and collaborate with the Council to ensure it
sees the light of the day, as soon as you inform government of the modalities
outlined for this.
In the meantime our
several interventions and the various programmes of Actions and Structure as put
in place, have shown that we are well on course. Upon assumption of office we
established the Micro Finance and Small, Medium Enterprises Agency (PLASMEDAN),
which is saddled with the responsibility for promotion of financial literacy,
entrepreneurship, vocational and skills acquisition, youth and women
empowerment programmes. Already through this Agency we have provided training
to over three thousand (3,000) youth and women in the State, out of this
fourty-eight (48) people are living with disability.
I have also flagged off
phase two (2) of the programme for which 200 participants are to be drawn from
each Local Government Area across the seventeen (17) Local Government Areas; a
total of three thousand four hundred (3,400) participants will be receiving
training in different entrepreneurship areas, and would be supported at the end
of the skills acquisition with start-ups. The PYC will need to in her areas of
NEEDS Assessment, liaise with the various Local Government Social Welfare
Departments for the various youth to be captured.
Worthy of mention is
the fact that in order to guarantee access to a revolving low interest facility
for business start-up funds, we have almost completed documentation with the
Bank of Industry to access two billion naira (N2bn) fund. As we access
this fund for which we have also captured our counterpart contribution in the
budget, it will also open access to funds for the development of our creative
and entertainment industry on the Plateau, which in itself is an employment
provider.
Our three (3) E-
Dimensional Approach of Empowerment, Employment and Engagement of Talents, will
see us exploring and expanding on the viability of the Agricultural Value
Chains, to provide employment and economic empowerment to our teeming youth
while also guaranteeing food security. The opportunities in integrated animal farming,
the agricultural process and packaging industries, crop and vegetable
production should be areas of interest for our youth.
As a State we have
already keyed into the Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), the Fadama III Programme, Fish Farming with the resuscitation of
the Panyam Fish Farm and the Dry Season Farming Programme. The Tractorisation
Policy of Government will see us subsidizing up to 40% for the purchases of
tractors for massive land cultivation, and with the Bokkos Fertilizer Blending
Plant now in production, ease to fertilizer as an essential farm input is
guaranteed. This I believe is not an opportunity the Youth will allow to be
spirited away on the ground of a wait for white collar jobs.
In the areas of
Education, we are doing our best to ensure that the schools first remain open.
We remain committed to maintaining industrial harmony and this can be seen in
the way we negotiated and resolved the industrial unrest, that almost crippled
the sector from the primary to tertiary institutions.
We have also not
relented in the payment of bursaries and scholarship; the goodwill we have
shown in paying inherited arrears for the Law School Graduates and Students on International
Studies, will be sustained until we clear all pending scholarships for
students. You will agree that our current financial challenges have been a
major source of concern, hence our broad based approach now to mop up all
revenue from all taxable sources, to enable us meet up the demands of
governance.
You will also recall
that in order to sustain excellence in learning, I made a declaration at the
first convocation of the Plateau State University (PLASU), that all First Class
Graduates of the State in any University, will be granted employment and
training up to Doctoral Level. This is our effort in ensuring excellence in
learning while also raising indigenous Academics for our various Tertiary
Institutions. This directive has already been given effect and would be
sustained all through the life span of our Administration. We are also not resting
on our ours in funding the various institutions for facility improvement and
Man-power recruitments, so as to secure Accreditation for the various
programmes being run in all the Tertiary Institutions in the State.
I have taken the
opportunity of this Inauguration to not only unveil our programme of action for
the Youth Constituency, but to appropriately charge you on the right conduct
and line of action expected of you, if we are to break the circle of despair
occasioned by present economic realities. This period calls for critical
thinking, strategic action and commitment to all economic empowerment programmes
that will guarantee self-reliance. While Government provides the Platform and
facilitates the process, the entire Youth must show an indomitable will to the
realization of the empowerment programmes.
As a public demonstration
of our commitment in supporting the Youth Council, we shall be commencing the immediate
renovation of the Youth Centre. We would also be making available a vehicle the
use of the Council besides the provision of a take-off grant to help the new
Administration in the conduct of her activities. Other specific requests as mentioned
will addressed appropriately through the relevant Ministries and Agencies of Government.
As I conclude on this
Speech in the expectation that this session is only a first in the series of
many other interfaces, the Plateau Youth Council (PYC) will be having with
Government after the convocation of the Youth Summit, I wish to put forward the
following concluding charge for a better PYC.
The PYC as a corporate
body must remain non-partisan and non-religious. You should remain a pressure
and advocacy group serving as a resource centre, for the identification of
youth empowerment outlets and avenues for self sustenance and actualization. You
should strive to engage structures of Government progressively, consolidating
on gains rather than engaging in confrontation.
Being a rich reservoir
of voters, you must not allow yourselves to be used as canon fodders for
conflicts or political brigandage but avail yourselves to the process of a
search for credible leadership and peace building in our State and Country.
Finally, be guided in
all your life’s pursuit with the fact that there is no short cut to success;
the road to success is passed to a desired destination only through hard work,
determination and the wise application of knowledge. Experience, Education and
Exposure must combine to bring you to a desired end. In this wise I conclude
with the words of the late Mahatma Gandhi on the seven social sins that will
destroy the world. The antidote of each
of the ‘deadly sins’ is an explicit external standard that is based on natural
principles and laws. These are living a life of, I quote;
“wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce with morality,
Science without humanity,
Religion without sacrifice and
Politics without principle”
May we find a purpose
to live for and live a life of purpose, so that as we seek to build the youth,
we will be building our Nation and guaranteeing a future for generations
unborn.
Once again,
congratulations to all the newly inaugurated EXCO and may your tenure be
eventful.
Thank you for listening
and God bless Plateau State.
Rt. Hon. Simon Bako
Lalong
Executive Governor
Photo Credit _ Jenvulu