The Kogi State chapter of Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN) have sworn in Kehinde Theophilus as its new Speaker.
Theophilus and other members of the new leadership of YAN were inaugurated in Lokoja on Tuesday.
The new Speaker, in his inaugural speech, promised to bridge the gap between youths in the state and government.
He also pledged to promote unity and peace among youths in the state.
Chairman of the event, Hon. Idris Musa commended Kogi youths for their comportment during the recent #EndSARS protests that rocked the nation.
He called on youths to wrestle power from the older generation through approved processes.
Musa, who is the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, counselled that generational power shift can not be attained through crisis, but by following laid down procedures for electing leaders.
“Youths are the leaders of tomorrow. We must continue to sensitize and tell ourselves the truth at all time to achieve our goals. In our bid to wrestle power from old politicians, we must be conscious of approved processes for doing so,” he said.
Presenting a paper on the theme of the event, ‘Towards the Revitalization of Technical Colleges in Kogi State’, Engr Husseini called for the establishment of technical colleges trust fund.
Husseini decried the dilapidated state of the four state-owned technical colleges in Mopa, Idah, Ankpa and Oboroke.
He wondered why governments spend so much on skill acquisition initiatives for graduates of tertiary institutions while the technical colleges designed for same purpose are left to rot away.
He noted that states like Edo and Lagos are rebuilding and modernizing technical colleges, the ones in Kogi state remain in shambles.
He called for concerted efforts by government and private sector towards revitalizing technical colleges in the state.
Speaking at the event, the immediate past Speaker of YAN, Amb. Obaje Mustapha Hassan assured that the youth assembly will continue to support initiatives that will better the lot of people in the state.
Obaje who now assumes the role of YAN ambassador in Kogi, called on the new leadership of the youth assembly to sustain the activities of the body.
