Youth
THE National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Lagos State Chapter, says youths in the state must lend a hand in fighting crimes and Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) to foster sustainable societal change.
The NYCN and some legal experts made the call in a statement on Thursday in Lagos by Mrs Rafiat Akinyemi, Legal Adviser, NYCN, after the council’s second edition of the ‘Lagos Youth and the Law’ programme, tagged “Youths in Actualising a Crime-Free City”.
Speaking, the Provost, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja, Mr Yusuf Nurudeen, linked the crime-laden society to failed family standards “where only vices were passed to children who later become youths”.
Nurudeen said that the trend had resulted in excessive greed and lack of being contentedness, leading into all sorts of crimes rather than work hard to make money.
Also speaking, Dr Abiola Afolabi, Founding Director, Women Advocacy Research and Documentation Center, stressed the need for the youth to contribute and lend their voices in raising awareness about crimes especially gender based violence.
Afolabi called for youths’ involvement in productive activities to help build the society through the positive use of their energy, peaceful protests or demonstrations, advocacies and policy-collaboration.
She said that their skills and talents could also be used to campaign against gender-based violence, urging youths to be catalysts for change.
In his remark, a former Lagos State Chairman of NYCN, Mr Ismahil Odulana, said that parents should be mindful of how they raise their children and what they do in their presence.
Meanwhile, the NYCN legal adviser said that youths are very critical in actualising a crime free city and the state owes it to every youth to ensure a crime free society.
Akinyemi, also the Director, Legal and He Human Rights Directorate of NYCN said that the council is an umbrella body of the youth saddled with the responsibility of youth welfares while promoting peace and unity.
She said that the high and increasing rate of youth in correctional centre was alarming.
“Statistics has shown that over 60 per cent are youths as at 11th day of September, 2023 Report from Nigeria Correctional Centers. Nigeria ranks 27th with the highest number of Prisoners globally,” she said.
According to him, with the current situation, it has become sacrosanct for NYCN in Lagos State to sensitise the youth on the Laws, Fundamental Human Rights and other trendy issues as they affect them.
She said that the event was attended by various legal practitioners including the representative of the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba among others. (NAN)
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-September. 21, 2023 @ 15:02 GMT |
Tags: Justice Kazeem Alogba Mr Ismahil Odulana Mr Yusuf Nurudeen Mrs Rafiat Akinyemi NYCN
