From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The NATU Foundation has unveiled a platform aimed at promoting inclusive governance, provide interventions for women and children in conflict areas and the Internally Displaced persons (IDPs).
The founder and executive director of the NGO, Desmond Joyce, speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Abuja, stated that the organisation stands for building a nation where peace, justice and equality reign.
She explained that NATU Foundation focuses on youths and women in politics, electoral reforms, human rights, education through advocacy and management aimed towards development.
‘To support, scrutinise and encourage the strengthening of government institutions through advocacy initiatives,’ Joyce said.
‘To engage with primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in instilling patriotic consciousness of students as active nation-building players through our citizen literacy project.
‘Engaging youths and women in the political process and mobilising financial resources to support the political aspirations of credible and proven youths and women to foster and encourage inclusive governance,’ she stated.
Atoye Dare Ariyo from the Centre for Liberty in his remarks stated that youths must stop complaining and compose themselves to achieve their targets.
‘While our women can actually complain about exclusion because of the patriarchal nature of the African political system, the Nigerian youths cannot complain because most of the leaders we have today got involved at a younger age,’ Ariyo stated.
‘The youths must coordinate, organise and push their best forward to take control of power or to get involved significantly, they will never achieve much by complaining of marginalisation.
‘Every youth organisation and foundation should focus on partnership and organising to get more youths involved in the political process than staying every day in the social media space and criticising these leaders.’