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Communiqué: Enugu Youth Stakeholders make demands on a Youth Governor, 50% inclusiveness of young competent individuals in executive positions

Calls for a total renewal of the Enugu Political Space

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Rising from a youth stakeholders meeting held on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the Base Landmark Event Center, participants in the meeting  titled “Agenda 2023: The role and interest of the young people” have issued a communiqué.

Background

1) There is need for renewal of the political space of Enugu State to ensure a power shift and revamp of the political system.

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2) The meeting focused on reawakening and renewing the young people to lead and be part of the political process. The meeting interrogated issues and opened up conversations, asked critical questions and yielded key action points for the achievement of Youth Agenda 2023 project in Enugu. We have just one demand: “We want a youth governor, and if we cannot have a youth governor, we want at least 50% of the Executive Positions designated for youths”

Action Points

1) That youths constitute a fantastic demography in Enugu State and their participation in politics will drive development. When young people are disenfranchised or disengaged from political processes, they have little or no voice or influence in decisions that affect them.

2) That come 2023, Enugu Youths will mobilize and organize to ensure that the interest of the youths matter. That the youths shall leverage existing platforms such as the “Power Shift” to constructively engage and ensure our Agenda 2023. Enugu youths agreed that they must play a key role in the 2023 general elections, and will not be bystanders.

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3) That in view of the 2023 elections, the youths shall organize debates and converge all aspirants to come and discuss their manifestoes and ideologies behind their aspirations.

4) That Enugu Youths shall organize “A Day with the Governor” to have a constructive engagement as well as make our strategic demands from His Excellency, the Governor.

5) That for youths to make a difference in the longer term, it is essential that young people are engaged in formal political processes and have a say in formulating today’s and tomorrow’s politics. That youths will not support any candidate that is not credible and will shun ethnic and political party barriers to support credible candidates.

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6) That to achieve our aim to get young people into the political system come 2023, there is a need for young persons to continuously engage themselves and organize political education for students in post-secondary and tertiary institutions, futuristic approaches focusing on underage and periodic interventions for ages within the voting right. Through our volunteers, we shall organize a school-leaver’s conference to encourage civic education and voter awareness.

7) That youths should become champions of voter education and ensure that peers, networks and colleagues have voter’s card and are willing to vote.

8) That youths will resist and discourage any form of buy-in and incentives that are targeted at shifting their positions on their decisions to support a young, credible, competent candidate.

9) That there is need for youths and benefactors to establish Enugu Youth Fund to support credible and competent youths who express interest for political positions.

Made this day, 26th March, 2022, in Enugu, Nigeria.