Youth and Governance

Speech By His Excellency, The Executive Governor Of Nasarawa State, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu (Sarkin Yakin Keffi) On The Occasion Of The Third Nasarawa State Youth Festival Held At Ibrahim Abacha Youth Centre, Lafia, 18th May, 2004.

I welcome all of you to this August occasion of the opening ceremony of the Nasarawa State Youth Festival with a heart of gratitude to the Almighty God, who has made it possible for us to gather here this morning.

I find it imperative to state here, that the Celebration of our Youth by any Society is a worthy event, taking cognizance of the positive role of Youth in the Society. All our plans for the future cannot be actualized without the involvement and active participation of the Youth. It is in the light of this truism that our administration has committed ourselves to the development of this segment of our populace. This underscores our commitment to matters that concern the Youth, such as the hosting of this Youth Festival, which is the third since the good people of Nasarawa state elected us into office.

It is our belief and conviction that the Youth constitute the bulwark of Socio- economic development of the Society and by extension, the world. They are the link between the past and the present, between this generation and generations yet unborn. It is in realization of these imperatives that I urge all parents, individuals and organizations to invest in our Youth for the sustainable and meaningful development of our dear State and the Nation at large.

I understand that the theme for this year’s Youth Day Celebration is "Youth and Governance". I am sure both the participants and invited guests alike will agree with me that from the onset of our administration, the Youth have been, and still are, major stakeholders and key players in the day to day running of the state government. The Constitution of the State Executive Council has amply reflected this position just as the Executive Council Member who oversees the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development himself aptly exemplifies this tilt.

It is a self evident truth that the Youth also constitute the most productive segment of the population. This is only natural, as they bring their robust energy to bear on any activity they undertake. By involving the youth in our development programmes for the citizenry therefore, we are grooming the Youth, not only the leadership positions therefore, but also for the challenges that attend such responsibilities through networking with their peers in other parts of the Country.

We recognize that non-involvement of youth in our programmes will bring about deviance and crime, whereas honesty, obedience and hard work are parameters of consistent and persistent youth development through proper orientation and constructive engagement. I urge all our Youth to imbibe the tenets and principles of honesty, Obedience, hard work and tolerance as your guiding standard and philosophy.

On our part as a Government, we will continue to ensure that those activities that sustain the Youth physically and economically, such as sports and other extra-curricula activities continue to receive prime of place in our consideration for Youth engagement to stare off unwholesome acts and conducts inimical to the development and progress of the society. We are not unmindful of the ever present menace of unemployment, which gives vent to untoward activities and indulgences such as narcotics, drunkenness and sexual misbehaviour among other things leading to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The prevalence of the later amongst the Youth gives us a great cause for concern. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is ravaging the productive segment of our society and threatens the continual existence of humanity in its entirety. This explains the huge resources we are committing on health programmes, particularly reproductive health. We cannot afford to lose our future leaders to a phenomenon which is largely controllable through re-orientation and persistent sensitization.

Permit me, at this juncture, to commend the organizers of this youth festival for their careful and good planning of the event and the participants, for answering our call and acting in concert with the organizers to put up this eye- catching event. As a Government, our doors will remain ever open for anyone willing and ready to offer constructive ides for the development of our state. It is in this light that we eagerly await to receive the communiqué which will be issued at the end of this festival.

It is my hope that at the end of the event, Nasarawa State will receive a befitting portrayal as a reservoir of agriculture, arts and culture through the exhibition which I understand is an integral part of the Fiesta. More than that, I urge our young men and women to continue to be good Ambassadors of Nasarawa State wherever and in whatever circumstances you may find yourselves.

In order to secure the future of our Youth, our administration has implemented various acts to empower the youth educationally and by extension, economically. In the early days of our administration, a total of 1,982 students received scholarship awards from the Nasarawa State Government. In the 2000-2001 scholarship regime, however, this figure almost quadrupled to 4, 932 awards, just as 9,865 and 12,939 Youths benefited in the 2001-2002 and the 2002-2003 academic years respectively.

From 1999 to date, we have granted scholarships to 29,722 youths to enable them further their education in different Institutions of learning across the country. Statistics show a steady rise in the number of the beneficiaries from one scholarship regime to the other. This is in line with our resolve to prepare our Youth for future socio-economic, educational and even cultural challenges of the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me restate for the umpteenth time that as an Administration, our commitment to education for our Youth and the entire citizenry is total and irreversible. We believe that no legacy is more worthy to bequeath to posterity than education.

To enable our Youth apply the good education which they receive in the Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities in daily life, we have provided employment for 1000 Youth into Government Service from 1999 to date. This figure may appear a far cry from the total number of young school leavers that are being turned out yearly. But, be this as it may, I make bold say that, great things always have small beginnings. If this tempo is maintained and sustained over a period of time, I believe seemingly small figures will be large when taken cumulatively.

We also have a record of appointing our youth into political offices. It will be recalled that about 90% of the membership of the former Transition Management Committees (TMC) members was comprised largely of persons under the age of 40 years. We have sustained this policy thrust as exemplified by the appointment of some youth into the present State Executive Council.

To further underscore our determination to better the lot of the Youth of Nasarawa State, this administration has executed a number of projects that have direct bearing on Youth development such as the International Cultural Centre at Mararaba and the renovation and upgrading of the township stadium in Lafia. We currently engaged in the construction of a multi-purpose Township Hall Lafia, an ultra-modern NYSC Orientation Camp at Keffi and a Golf Course in Lafia. These projects are at various stages of completion and it is hoped, by the grace of God, will be commissioned before the end of this year.

Additionally, we successfully hosted a maiden Sports Festival recently. This Administration also sponsored our Sports men and women to the just concluded National Sports Festival, tagged Abuja 2004 where our Contingent had a good outing improving on past outings by winning 9 Gold Medals, 9 Silver and 6 Bronze Medals.

Our efforts at industrializing Nasarawa State have remained unwavering. We have established such companies as the fertilizer blending plant in Lafia, the Nasara Packaging Company at Akwanga, the Beef Processing Factory at Masaka, among others in the hopes of improving the economic base of the state and consequently providing employment opportunities for our Youth.

To ensure that the necessary infrastructure for the Industrial take- off of Nasarawa State is solidified, we have gone a step further at ensuring that the energy requirements of these factories that we have established and others in the pipeline are met. A few weeks ago, we signed and agreement with a Korean firm to build an Independent Power Plant at the Farin Ruwa Waterfalls to generate electricity for the state beside its tourist value. Our drive towards providing more tourism resorts in Nasarawa State is also aimed towards the Youth. This is because this section of the population seeks aesthetic pleasure more than any other.

Having said this, I expect the Youth to complement our gestures by being good ambassadors of the State wherever you may find yourselves. You should be good advocates of peaceful co-existence and the corporate existence of our nation. You should practicalize some aspects of what you advocate by building bridges between the other segments of society and the Government. In a world riddled with all types of strife, the Youth can play a stabilizing role through a network of enlightenment activities.

I pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless our collective strive towards a better society for ourselves and for prosperity. May the Spirit of togetherness which now attends this festival remain our guide for an ideal society of our dream.

I thank you all.