STATEMENT BY EUNICE SPRING OF LIFE FOUNDATION ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2020.
According to available statistics, youth constitute nearly 40% of Nigeria’s population, implying that about 80 million of the estimated 200 million Nigerians are youth.
It is therefore shocking to note that despite the significant population of youths in the country, this demographic has been relegated to the level of a vulnerable population, with their voices hardly ever sufficiently taken into account.
At the community, state and national levels, deep inequalities highlighted by abysmally low level of political and social inclusion of youth is evident. This has implications for inclusive and sustainable development of our communities in Benue State, in Nigeria and world over.
A number of reasons have been advanced to justify the underrepresentation of youths in political processes and leadership. These include a lack of required skills and resources. Youth in Nigeria are largely mere bearers of policies.
As a community, State and Nation, we stand to better achieve sustainable development when the youths are not just seen as brunt bearers of policies, but an active voice of engagement in the policy making process.
The Benue and Nigerian youth is an innovative problem solver, a vibrant, resilient and committed young person and even so much more. It is for this reason that the Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) joins compatriots and youths in our communities, across Nigeria and the world to raise our voices in calling for leaders to appreciate and consider the potentials and basic competencies of youth as basis for engagements while the youth progressively learn along the line.
On the occasion of the IYD 2020, we at Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) reassert our commitment to all round youth development while celebrating the ingenuity, innovations and efforts of youth which have saved lives especially now as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic.
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