The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has advocated for 40 percent of political appointments in Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State’s administration be inaugurated on October 16, 2022, to be ceded to youths.
The youth body promised to coopt its national body to partner with critical stakeholders like the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to end the lingering crisis embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The newly elected Chairman of the NYCN, Ekiti State, Com. Oluwasegun Bankole, said this in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, during his inaugural press briefing after his emergence.
At the election supervised by security agencies, Ekiti State Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, Bankole polled a total of 109 votes to defeat his close rival, Segun Famuyibo, who garnered 14.
Addressing newsmen on the NYCN’s expectations from the incoming government, Bankole said: “The NYCN is ready to key into Biodun Oyebanji’s policy thrust because we have studied it and found that he makes youth empowerment a priority on his list.
“But regarding youth involvement in governance, we are not expecting anything less than 40% of political appointments from his government as part of the ways to empower and accord us recognition in government”.
On the strike embarked on by ASUU and the pernicious effects on youth, Bankole added: “We are going to call the attention of our stakeholders to the reason why this strike should end now.
“Reports we are getting showed that many of our female students have been impregnated, while the male counterparts are into criminalities because they were not occupied and productive in the six months duration of this industrial action,” he said.
The Chairman assured that he is coming on board to rebrand Ekiti youth and change the narratives through effective collaboration with local and international organisations to better the many Ekiti youth.
The NANS National President, Sunday Asefon, who doubled as the Publicity Secretary of the NYCN in the immediate past administration, warned against factionalisation of the body, saying this would not be in the interest of the youth.
Asefon applauded Governor Kayode Fayemi for presenting a parcel of land and the Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) to NYCN to build a State Secretariat for the youth body.
