SAN FRANCISCO, August 06, (THEWILL) – A civil society group, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, (CENTREPS), has called on youths in the country to summon the courage to shun all forms of ‘stomach infrastructure’- propelled youth rallies being staged across the country.
The group noted that some “unscrupulous politicians and groups”, ahead of the 2015 general elections, have been staging rallies aimed at inducing the youths into ‘working’ for themselves.
A statement signed by the Executive Director of the group, Oghenejabor Ikimi, Wednesday said the effects of such youth rallies on “the collective psyche of the nation at this perilous time in our polity could be worse than the deadly Ebola virus.”
According to the group, “Nigeria as a country is presently seated on an edge with the numerous social challenges facing the polity ranging from massive youth unemployment, earth quaking level of official corruption, worsening public infrastructural decay, worsening state of insecurity nationwide, pandemic poverty and hunger etc and it would require the courage of all Nigerians particularly that of her youths to pull Nigeria back on the radar of progressive nations of the world, hence this clarion call on Nigerians especially her youths who are the future leaders.
“Presently, according to an official source and a former Nigerian President, over 40 million Nigerian youths are unemployed.
“Another source put it at 60 million youths. A country with such a large number of idle youths is no doubt sitting on a keg of gun power waiting to be lighted.
“However political marauders and buccaneers have taken undue advantage of the above situation to hoodwink unsuspecting youths by recruiting them as political thugs and pawns to actualise their nefarious political ambitions.
“Furthermore, Northern Nigeria is presently in a precarious state, witnessing bombings and killing of innocent and law abiding Nigerians virtually on a daily basis by members of the terrorist Boko Haram group.
“An official source put the number of the dead since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency began at over 20,000 with scores wounded while property worth billions of Naira have been lost, destroyed and looted by members of the proscribed terrorist group.
“As if the above figure is not enough, over 230 abducted Chibok school girls are still unaccounted for till date.
“It is indeed sad that rather than unite against the common enemy, our politicians have resorted to trading blames, thus politicising our state of insecurity and further polarising the polity with inflammatory statements to the detriment of ordinary citizens and the entire Nation at large.” The group said : “It is in the light of the foregoing that we call on the Federal Government and the various State Governments for the umpteenth time to face the business of governance with renewed vigour and zest by tackling youth unemployment, official corruption, public infrastructural decay, insecurity, poverty and hunger in our polity while we call on those in the opposition to offer the various Governments in power a vibrant opposition that is issue-based and devoid of biased politicking in the interest of the vulnerable and underprivileged Nigerians.”
