…Nigerian youths are underdeveloped
From Philip Nwosu, Lagos And George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Governor Rochas Okorocha has accused the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of mischief saying that the new work regime of the state government for all civil servants and its policy of Back to land for agriculture were irrevocable.
Okorocha who stated this yesterday in apparent response to announcement by the leaders of the workers union in the state who thanked him for reversing the policy, said the policy of the state government which requires that civil servants in the state only work from Monday to Wednesday and used Thursday and Friday for farming stands. The governor who spoke through his Media Aide Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo described the announcement of the NLC leaders as the height of mischief, stressing that neither he nor the state executive council has reversed the policy as it is in the best interest of the state and the civil servants.’
‘The announcement by the Labour leadership in the state was the height of mischief and also shows how their spirit are working. The Labour leaders in the state have continued to oppose all the policies of the state government not minding the importance or popularity of such policies. For anybody or group to oppose the Back to land for agriculture policy is very unfortunate. In fact anybody that opposes it hates the public servants in the state and also the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Senator Hope Uzodinma has declared that Nigeria youths are grossly underdeveloped and consequently lack the basic tools needed for a more positive and proactive role in politics, and thereby, called for urgent intervention by government to salvage the situation in the national interest.
Delivering an address titled “Youth Involvement in Nigeria Politics” at an Imo Youth Summit in Osina, Ideato South L.G.A of Imo State at the weekend, Uzodinma regretted that the failure of the 6-3-3-4 education system has compounded the plight of the youths.
He argued that youths can only play their expected role in nation- building if they are “educated, literate and well skilled”,which according to him are basic tools needed to make them confident as members of the polity.
He disclosed that the data from the 2012 National Bureau of statistic put the percentage of youths in Nigeria at over 50% of the Nation’s population adding that regrettably, a recent Central Bank Report confirmed that 80 percent of them were unemployed.
Lamenting that in the 2015/2016 May/June West African Examination Council (WAEC) only 38:68 percent of the candidate passed, with five credits, the Senator said the situation was even more painful because out of the 38.6 percent, only about 15% of them may gain admission to Tertiary Institution, going by the records from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He declared “Not Surprisingly, therefor, when we speak of the involvement of the youth in Nigerian Politics there is not much to write home about. The harrowing truth is that the youths have been more active on the dark side of Politics than on the bright side”
The Senator said the bane of Nigerian Youths is that they are poorly