By Chimezie Godfrey
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged the government of President Bola Tinubu to encourage youth who supported them during their campaigns through effective inclusion into the decision processes of the administration.
The Campaigns and Communication Officer, Ali Sabo, made the call at a press conference organized by CITAD to celebrate the International Day of Democracy, 2023.
The theme for this years’ International Day of Democracy is:”Empowering the Next Generation” and it focuses on the essential role of children and young people in safeguarding democracy today and in the future.
Sabo noted that it was not enough to listen to children and young people, “we must support them with massive investments in education, skills-building and lifelong learning”.
He recalled that throughout the electioneering process, CITAD focused on the campaign for the inclusion of women and youth in the political and governance process which was done under its project titled Youth and Women Inclusion in Politics.
He said the objective of the project was to Campaign for Inclusion of Women and Young People in Political and Governance Processes (We-You Pro) and was designed to mobilize a critical mass of young people and women leading innovative campaigns towards translating citizens’ demands into policy actions and engender an inclusive decision-making political process that reflects the priorities of the young people and women in Kaduna and Kano States.
Sabo pointed out that during the series of campaigns and activities, many youths and women responded positively by actively participating in politics, adding that as a result some of them contested for various elected positions while others became card carrying members of political parties, thus, massively supported the candidates of their political parties in the 2023 general elections.
He commended the fact that some of the politicians supported by these youth appreciated them by engaging them in their governments either as assistants, special assistants, special advisers, and to some extent appointed in some agencies and parastatals.
“However, going by the populations of youth and women in the country which constitutes about 61% of the total population and the number of youth appointed by these politicians we can firmly assert that the number is negligible and did not either correspond with the youth population in the electorates nor with the commitments, sacrifices and active participation of the youth in the process.
“We therefore, as part of this celebration call on the politicians elected into power to;
“Encourage the youth that participated and supported them during their campaigns through effective inclusion into the decision processes of their governments or offices.
“Know that any decision-making process that neglects 61% of the population of whose decision is taken on their behalf is not an inclusive decision nor is its participatory which democracy is all about.
“Support the teeming youth in their constituencies in terms of their education, economic and social inclusion to ensure that these youth attain their potentials for the betterment of the country,” he said.
Sabo also urged politicians to mentor some of the youth with leadership potentials to also begin the journey of political leadership.
“We strongly believe that if those in power will support the youth in the above areas youth support for the democratic process will be strengthen and government and political party initiatives will be strongly accepted and the all policies and decisions will we inclusive,” he stressed.
