MIND Initiative, a non-political organization of young influencers working on good governance and environmental sustainability, has launched what it called the Edo Youth Agenda (EYA) aimed at directing the government on what to do for the youth.
The agenda, which was drawn up by the MIND Initiative, was launched on Friday, 14th April 2023, at a press conference held at the MIND Initiative ‘Governance Hall’, Benin City.
MiND, an acronym for ‘Mentoring Individual’s Dream’, works by strengthening advocacies , civic enlightenments and mentorship aimed at improving transparency, accountability and environmental friendliness.
Speaking during the launch, a member of the Board of Trustees, Dr D. E. Enowoghomwenma, thanked MIND Initiative for coming up with the agenda. He pointed out that the last census carried out in the country estimated the Nigerian population to be over 200 million, out of which over 40 percent are youth that have the ability and the capacity to work and move the nation forward.
Dr Enowoghomwenma said the youth should not just be seen as leaders of tomorrow but also as partners of today, because if the youth don’t partner well today, they will not lead well tomorrow when it’s time for them to lead.
According to him, for the youth to lead better than those leading the country today, they must partner well and be actively involved in policy making, policy articulation, and demanding their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities as youths of Nigeria.
“For me, MIND Initiative has actually taken a bold step to articulate the minds of the youth in this youth agenda. What do they want the government to do for the youth?” Dr Enowoghomwenma said in his opening address.
“However, let me say here that coming to this demand is not just a fallacy. Research was carried out, people were interviewed, data was gathered, and from the data gathered a summary was made into five demands for the Edo State youth.
“I want to urge the state government and its agencies, and also the Federal Government, to please listen to the demands of the youth and also use it to articulate policies that will favour the youth and the entire society at large.
“I must say today that one of the issues we are facing is unemployment, insecurity, and that has led today to what we call ‘brain drain’.
“If you’re very much informed, the House of Representatives is trying to make a law limiting our doctors from travelling. Like I told people, is that what they are supposed to do?
“What is the issue? The issue is brain drain. And the people involved in this brain drain are the youth. The youth that are supposed to develop this country, they are leaving. Either in the medical line, the teaching line, banking, mechanical, electrical, just name it. People that we need to develop this society, they are leaving. Hence, this agenda became apt by MIND Initiative.
“And I want to again appeal to the relevant stakeholders to please support this agenda, so that the state government and its relevant agencies will see it, act on it, and ventilate on it. At the end of the day, Edo State will be a place to be,” he said.
The Executive Director of MIND Initiative, Mr Peter Aguebor, while presenting his findings and recommendations as contained in the agenda, pointed out that the Edo Youth Agenda was borne out from a survey that was carried out from January to March 2021, after the September 2020 governorship election in Edo State.
According to him, the survey was carried out in the 18 local government areas of Edo State using a total of 360 questionnaires tagged ‘Edo Youth Priority Questionnaire’ and randomly administered to 20 respondents from each local government area.
He said the result of the questionnaire, which was the research tool of this initiative, showed six top priority demands of the of the Edo youth. These include Education, Employment, Health, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, and Security.
Top on the list of the recommendations contained in the Edo Youth Agenda (EYA), Mr Aguebor said, was that the state government should make strong commitment by signing a pledge on implementing the youth agenda.
Highlight of the press conference was the official presentation of the EYA to a representative from the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Simeon Osajie; a representative from Edo Arise, Mr Iyobosa Irughe; and a representative from Crusader’s Voice, Miss Mercy Onyenwelei.
MIND Initiative was formed with a goal to enlighten the youth of Nigeria beginning from Edo State, and increasing youth participation in nation building by drawing up programmes that will ensure that the youth, who form a large number of the active force in the society, are not left behind on the day-to-day running of the affairs of major sectors of the economy of the state.
The Initiative comes against the background that the youth are the future of any nation and an untrained, unprepared, unenlightened and underdeveloped youth population would mean a slow pace of growth for that nation. For a developing nation like Nigeria, that would mean a bleak future and a very slow growth rate.
