The planning committee for the 2021 Congress National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Kogi State, has restated its commitment to a free, fair and acceptable process, just as it said it would hold the best Congress ever held in the history of the NYCN in the state.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Comrade Isah Onimisi Babangida gave the assurance on Friday in Lokoja at a news conference held at the Youth House.
He stated that the transition committee is made up of people of unrivalled character traits capable of delivering the goods, assuring all aspirants that the process would be devoid of any form manipulation.
“In fact, I make bold to say we are ready to give us the best election this Council has ever witnessed since its inception in the state.
“As a committee, we have already put in motion the process and many of the stakeholders already have the knowledge of the criteria we have set for a smooth transition. Lucky enough, almost all contestants are people we are familiar with.
“We have been friends and colleagues in the council before providence elevated us to the other side of the political aisle, but we still remain friends and colleagues because as they say; ‘Once a Comrade, always a Comrade.’
“We are not unaware of some of the fears being entertained by some stakeholders, but we have been able to assuage those fears over time, by assuring them of our resolve to see that the process goes smoothly.
“Before anything, we are first Kogi youths and in the end, we must remain united to chart a course of progress and development for those we are bequeathing the council to.
“We must therefore take examples from the youth friendly policies of the administration of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who is the number one youth of the state today and ensure we do things by the books to ensure we don’t scuttle the bright future he has envisioned for us, hence the youth – centric policies that have made us the envy of other youths in Nigeria.
“This last sentence is something I say without fear of contradictions. We are the envy of our peers in other parts of the country, though this is not the occasion or place for such discussion.
“We just can’t the Governor enough for making youth related activities so attractive to us again by according it the recognition that it deserves hence the ongoing interest in being part of the process even by people who didn’t care much in the past. So, thank you Your Excellency.
“One of the ways the Governor has further put down his marker as a pace setter is the recent constitution of members of the Kogi State Youth Development Commission which is populated by mainly the youths.
“This is a departure from the past where such a commission would have been made up of old people. So, we say thank you once more the Governor that approaches his words with action.
“I also want to thank outgoing executives of the council in the state and other stakeholders for their unique roles in ensuring a United Youth and a more pragmatic and astute young people in the state. I hope the incoming executive would build on the progress so far recorded.
“I also want to thank my former colleagues – coordinators from the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State for their cooperation and commitment to ensuring a peaceful process in the state.”
