The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ekiti State Chapter yesterday has advocated for 40% of political appointments to be ceded to youth from the incoming administration of Hon. Biodun Oyebanji, kicking off on October 16, 2022.
The youth body promised to coopt its national body to partner critical stakeholders like the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to end the lingering crisis embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The newly elected Chairman of the NYCN in Ekiti State, Com. Oluwasegun Bankole, said this in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, during his inaugural press briefing after his emergence.
At the election supervised by security agencies, Ekiti State Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, Bankole polled a total of 109 votes to defeat his close rival, Segun Famuyibo, who garnered 14.
Addressing newsmen on the NYCN’s expectations from the incoming goverment, Bankole said: “The NYCN is ready to key into Biodun Oyebanji’s policy thrust, because we have studied it and found that he makes youth empowerment a priority on his list.
“But regarding youth involvement in governance, we are not expecting anything less than 40% of political appointments from his government as part of the ways to empower and accord us recognition in government”.
On the strike embarked on by ASUU and the pernicious effects on youth, Bankole added: “We are going to call the attentions of our stakeholders to the reason why this strike should end now.
“Reports we are getting showed that many of our female students have been impregnated, while the male counterparts are into criminalities, because they were not occupied and productive in the six months duration of this industrial action” he said.
The Chairman assured that he is coming on board to rebrand Ekiti youth and change the narratives through effective collaboration with local and international organisations to better the lots of Ekiti youth.
The NANS National President, Sunday Asefon, who doubles as the Publicity Secretary of the NYCN in the immediate past administration, warned against factionalization of the body, saying this would not be in the interest of the youth.
Asefon applauded Governor Kayode Fayemi for presenting a parcel of land and the Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) to NYCN to build a State Secretariat for the youth body.