The Bauchi State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Adamu Manu Soro, on Tuesday, emphasised the importance of youths’ inclusiveness in governance,
Soro said the realisation of this fact prompted the state government to give about 60 percent appointments to youths with a view to giving them ownership of the state’s resources.
The commissioner stated this at a youth town hall meeting organized by the Northern State Governors Forum, submitting that youths have the energy and talent to bring development to the country.
Manu Soro said the town hall meeting is a follow up to the decision of the northern governors at their meeting with emirs in November in Kaduna where they set up a committee headed by the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Nuhu Bamali, on youth engagement and inclusiveness in governance in Nigeria.
The Commissioner said the governors had mandated the committee to identify and develop different platforms for youths’ involvement and youth empowerment in general.
While calling on participants at the meeting to see it as an opportunity for them to discuss national development and stability, Soro urged them to proffer solutions on how to get youths engaged.
“It is my plea to the youth and youth organizations representatives (here) to see this as a forum to prescribe the expected dosage that will enhance youths’ engagement, youth priorities and youth inclusion in governance in Nigeria,” he said.
The commissioner commended youths of the state for not joining the recent End SARS protests that later turned violent in parts of the country, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.
Speaking earlier, the convener of the town hall meeting, Khalid Barau, informed that it had nothing to do with party politics, adding that participants were drawn from various parts of the state regardless of their political affiliations.
Barau, who is the Special Assistant to Governor Bala Mohammed on Youth Empowerment, said issues relating to education, drug abuse, youths employment and empowerment, among others, are listed for deliberation at the meeting.
