By Aderogba George
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has successfully resolved the longstanding divisions within the Forum of the National Youth Leaders of all Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPN).
This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the co-chairmen of the Forum, Eze Chukwu and Chinazam Ike, on Sunday in Abuja.
According to them, a meeting was held on Thursday in Abuja where it was resolved to advance youth participation in governance.
They quoted the minister as emphasising the need to champion unity among youth leaders and announced inclusion of the forum in youth development plans.
“Speaking at the meeting, Comrade Olawande stressed the importance of the forthcoming national youth confab in addressing youth concerns.
“It is also important in fostering an all-inclusive governance structure and the need to have a united youth leadership going into the conference.
“He noted that the initiative, aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, and designed to empower Nigerian youth and prioritize their inclusion in national decision-making processes.
“In addition to the minister’s efforts, the Forum members embraced themselves in reconciliation and adopted a co-chairmanship structure that will allow two equal chairmen and other executive positions.
“Ike of ADP and Chukwu of APGA were accepted as the co-chairmen of the Forum since it’s the turn of the South East and they’re both from the South East,” they quoted him as saying.
They explained that the reconciled forum, representing 19 political parties, pledged its commitment to mobilising youth participation in the conference at constituency levels nationwide.
According to them, the decentralised approach aims to ensure grassroots involvement and comprehensive representation in the national conference.
“Attendees expressed gratitude to the minister for his steadfast efforts to unify the forum and create avenues for youth empowerment.
“The forum leaders also committed to supporting the minister’s vision to build a Nigeria where youths are empowered to excel in all fields.
“The reconciliation marks a new era of collaboration among political youth leaders, with the forum now poised to work collectively in advancing the interests of young Nigerians,” they said.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA