Women Environmental Programme (WEP), Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) and other stakeholders have solicited support for passage of a bill to establish a Youth Development Commission in Benue.
Mrs Priscilla Achakpa, President of WEP, said this in Abuja, at a round table for members of Benue State House of Assembly on the proposed Bill for Establishment of Youth Development Commission.
Achakpa said the establishment of the bill would promote peace building, strengthen state systems and structures as well as engage and empower the youth effectively.
According to her, we are seeking the support of members of the Benue state House of Assembly and other relevant stakeholders for urgent passage of the bill for establishing the commission.
“We are talking about the youth who are our leaders of tomorrow, but I strongly believe that they are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today.
“The youth need our mentorship, we the elders are the people that will mentor them as government practitioners.
“We need to support them, give them space for leadership; we might think that they do not have the capacity, no, we are getting it wrong; when we begin to mentor them, they will be built strongly,’’ she said.
She said that the meeting would bring a fruitful deliberation that would fast-track the passage of the proposed bill.
The Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Mr Titus Uba, said that the members were already partnering other relevant stakeholders to ensure the speedy passage of the bill.
According to Uba, the commission is for the youth, the establishment will help us to take our youths off the street so that those attitude of committing crime and other vices will stop in the state.
“They says an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Most of our youths today are graduates but still seeking for job.
“So, it is only when this bill is passed that it will be possible for us to work on our youths by empowering them; all the house committees are here at the meeting because we are taking the bill seriously.
“We have partners in many organisations both Human Right Commission, youth development, various calibers of women and other important people in the society.
“The effort is to ensure that we are not pursuing shadow; honestly, we at the House of Assembly are working tirelessly; we are really behind the bill,’’ he said.
Also, Chairman, House Committee on Youths and Sports, Thomas Kwagh-Kudi, said passage of the bill would address various issues and challenges the state was facing currently.
Kwagh-Kudi said establishment of the commission would help to strengthen the security consciousness and structures of communities and facilitate resolution of disputes within the communities.
“The establishment of the commission will also raise awareness against violent extremism, and enhance the skills of women and youths for improved livelihoods to reduce their vulnerability to recruitment and radicalisation to violent extremism.
“So, we at the House of Assembly are completely behind the bill, what we need to do now is also to meet some of the executives and traditional leaders.
“We need to let the elders understand the importance of the bill so that we can strongly work together to fast-track its passage,’’ he said.
Mrs Yetunde Adegoke, National Coordinator of GCERF, said the organisation was working with WEP and other stakeholders to ensure effective passage of the bill.
Adegoke said that the organisation would continue to support the state and other states financially and technically, adding that GCERF was a global fund dedicated to preventing violent extremism.
“Our organisation connects local communities to global resources, supporting grassroots initiatives that are typically out of reach for international donors and helping them thrive,’’ she said. (NAN)
