The Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council Worldwide (NENYLCW) has described President Bola Tinubu’s decision to convene a national youth confab as phenomenal.
Tinubu made the announcement on Tuesday during his 64th Independence Day Anniversary Broadcast. According to him, the 30-day confab will ensure that the voices of youths are heard and recommendations implemented by his administration.
“I am pleased to announce a gathering of the National Youths Conference. This conference platform will address diverse challenges affecting our young people,” he said.
In a statement made available to journalists yesterday, signed by their president general, Comrade Terry Obieh, vice president, Comrade Balarabe Rufai, and national publicity secretary, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders said the president’s decision was another clear indication that he meant well for the country.
The group recalled that they earlier made a request for a national dialogue involving youths from the various ethnic nationalities in the country.
According to them, “We are glad that Mr President made this announcement himself, a clear indication that the government takes it very seriously.
“We salute the President for his resilience to chart a good way for the country.
“During the August protest, we insisted that dialogue was the way to go and not hitting the streets. We are glad that Mr President has opened a further window of dialogue with the youths.
“As we appreciate him for this decision, we appeal that the confab should not be politicised but put in place in such a way that the intended outcome would be achieved.
“On our part, we assure Mr President that we shall continue to support his government which we are certain means well for the country.”
While also felicitating with the president and Nigerians on the Independence Anniversary, the youth group urged the citizens to continue keeping faith with the country.
They noted that despite the challenges facing the country, much gain has been attained since independence was achieved 64 years ago.
“There is no doubt that the country is experiencing challenges and has passed through tortuous years of military dictatorship, but there is always light at the end of every tunnel.
“There has been steady progress since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. The uninterrupted democracy is a huge gain that should not be taken for granted.
“The current administration is also determined to navigate the country out of the present economy and security challenges.
“While we thank Nigerians for their resilience, we urge them to continue keeping faith with the country, as we are sure a positive future is being secured by the current administration,” the group further stated.