Youth
TIMOTHY Owoeye, the Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, has called on Nigerian youths to see themselves as important agents of national development, as the world prepares to celebrate the International Youth Day on Wednesday.
Owoeye made the call in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kunle Alabi in Osogbo on Tuesday.
He said that the theme of this year’s International Youth Day: “Youth Engagement for Global Action” was apt as the world entered a new phase of development occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owoeye said that the engagement of youths at the local, national, and global levels would significantly enrich national and global development, saying their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics should be significantly enhanced.
He explained that it was not by accident that the 7th Assembly under his watch recently passed a bill to provide for the establishment of Osun Youth Development Commission, saying that the bill was borne out of the need to harness and develop the full potential of youths as partners in nation-building.
“It is envisaged that the commission, when established, shall provide leadership in the setting of priorities and direction for all youth developmental activities.
“The Commission shall encourage and enhance state-wide active participation of the youth in all governmental and non-governmental programmes, projects, and activities affecting the youths.
“The passed bill is a wake-up call for youths across our state to explore their inner potential to succeed.
“Economically, these are desperate times for us as a nation, considering the huge financial burden and dwindling revenue due to the fall in the price of crude oil and the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our economy.
“An established Youth Development Commission will pull resources together to implement youth-oriented programmes of the state.
“Our youths are the most affected during this pandemic; the job being lost is unimaginable. Laws like ours will redefine the employment policy of the government and also train youths on survival jobs as the nation wriggles out of the devastation caused by COVID-19.” Owoeye said
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. (NAN)
– Aug. 11, 2020 @ 14:59 GMT |
Tags: International Youth Day: Osun Speaker tasks youths on national development
