From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has upheld the election of the state chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in regard to the alleged age bracket of some recently sworn-in local officials of the group.
Daily Sun had reported that the National youth council of Nigeria had sworn in new officials that would pilot the affairs of the group.
In a press released signed by Eche Amos, Public Relations Officer of the ministry of youth and sports development send to Daily Sun via a WhatsApp message on Monday.
The release read: The attention of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has been drawn to viral publications on various social media platforms regarding the age-bracket of some of the recently sworn-in local officials of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Nasarawa State chapter during its two-day Leadership Retreat and Inauguration Ceremony held at Kini Country Guest Inn, Akwanga.”
“One of the observations raised was that some of the sworn-in officials have outgrown the age benchmark for youth, thereby depriving those who are qualified for such position of their rights and privileges.”
“But, suffice to state that the hierarchy of the Ministry interfaced with all relevant stakeholders, including the NYCN Electoral Committee, in regards to the contentious issue at hand where it was discovered that the aspirants had presented Declaration of Age Certificate as one of the prerequisite documents before they were allowed by the Electoral Committee to participate in the election.”
“From the Declaration of Age Certificate which they presented to the Electoral Committee, they became eligible to contest for the aforementioned positions.”
“It’s, however, imperative to note that, henceforth, no duly registered youth organisation operating in the State shall be allowed to conduct its leadership election without subjecting its aspirants to thorough supervision by the Ministry.”
The release added that the youth plays a critical role in the development of the State, stressing that the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration has created clear a policy framework to ensure that the right atmosphere is created for them to utilise their potential.
“As a Ministry, we wish to categorically state that we uphold, in high esteem, the National Youth Policy which aims to promote the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and protect the social, economic, and political well-being of all young persons, irrespective of gender, social status, religion or cultural background, in order to enhance their participation in the overall development process and improve their quality of life.”