By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
In commemoration of the International Youth Day, the Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, has called on Nigerian youth to see themselves as an important agent of national development.
International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding the youth.
The Speaker, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kunle Alabi, stated that the theme of International Youth Day 2020, “Youth Engagement for Global Action” was apt as the world entered a new phase of development occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owoeye noted that the engagement of youth at the local, national and global levels would significantly enrich national and global development saying their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics should be significantly enhanced.
He stressed thatitut was not by accident hat the 7th Assembly under his watch recently passed into law a bill to provide for the establishment of Osun Youth Development Commission, stating that the law was borne out the need to harness and develop the full potential of youth as partners in Nation building.
He said, “It is envisaged that the commission when established shall provide leadership in the setting of priorities and direction for all youth developmental activities.
“The Commission shall encourage and enhance state-wide active participation of the youth in all governmental and non-govermental programs, projects and activities affecting the youths.
“The passed bill is a wake up call for youths across our state to explore their inner potentials to succeed.
“Economically, these are desperate times for us as a Nation considering the huge financial burden and dwindling revenue due to the fall in price of crude oil and the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our economy.
“An established Youth Development Commission will pull resources together to implement youth oriented programmes of the state.
“Our youths are the most hit during this pandemic, the job being lost is unimaginable. Laws like ours will redefine the employment policy of government and also train youths on survival jobs as the nation wriggles out of the devastation caused by COVID-19,” Tmthe Speaker emphasised.
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