ActionAid Nigeria, PIBCID Tasks Govt On Youth Engagement
Actionaid Nigeria, (AAN) in partnership with Participation Initiative Behaviourial Change in Development (PIBCID), has charged government at all levels to always engage youth in policy making of the country.
The non governmental organization gave the charge on Friday during a one day policy dialogue on Youth Development/Validation of United Nation Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) in Lokoja, Kogi State .
Speaking with newsmen at the event, the Executive Director, PIBCID, Halima Oyiza Sadiq , said involving Youth in government policy making, especially as it has to do with Peace and Security, is key towards violence extremism.
She said government can only deradicalize the youth after reintegrating them into it policy, to prevent them from going back to the act of violent extremism.
According to her “Until the youth are involve and government creating platforms for the youth to thrive, restiveness and all other social vices may be difficult to curtail.
“We are here for policy dialogue on youth development. Talking about youth peace and security in this context we are not talking about youth as perpetrators in violent extremism, we are talking about youth participation and resolution in government policies.
“If you want to talk about youth development, you have to involve the youth. When you deradicalize the youth, you need to reintegrate them, so they don’t go back into violence extremism.”
Also speaking on the delay in making the Kogi state youth development commission law functional, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Hon Musa Isa said, the law was already been assented to by the governor, assuring that it operationalization will commence soon.
“By the time the commission is operational, international organisation would rather come direct to the Commission to engage the youth and not necessarily going through the government.” he said.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Hon. Nasiru Ohiani, who declared the one day programme open , described the recent agitations by youths in the country as one that must be given serious attention.
“The policy Dialogue On Youth Developement/Validation of the UNSCR 2250 could not have come at a better time than now” he said.