By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Pic: Middle is the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development,Mr.Monday Ayebe and his counterpart for Ministry of Inflation and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo,flanked by stakehokders in youth development in the state.
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, has urged the state’s youths to focus on positive development rather than protests, scheduled for August 1,2024 through out Nigeria.
Speaking on Tuesday, Fanwo reminded the youths that protests have historically failed to solve Nigeria’s problems and advised them to engage in constructive activities for the betterment of the state and the country.
Fanwo gave the advice on Tuesday at the NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja during a press conference hosted by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Monday Ayebe, to promote a youth engagement summit scheduled for Wednesday,July 31, 2024 in Lokoja .
The summit, organized by the State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in collaboration with student bodies, is expected to involve around 2,000 youths.
Fanwo emphasized that, “Rather than resorting to protests that often lead to violence and are hijacked by hoodlums, we should focus on discussions and activities that promote development in Kogi and Nigeria.”
Going memory lane, the commissioner regretted that protests being organized in Nigeria over the years have never solved the country’s problems that prompted them in the first place,”because hoodlums usually cash on them to maim,kill, destroy property and cause mayhem.”
He said the governor of the state,Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo would attend the summit, adding that discussion and policy statements would from the summit.
Fanwo said tht the state government had flagged off L-Pres programme, which supports livestock and poultry development in the state as a positive alternative to street protests.
Earlier,in his speech, the youth and sports development commissioner said the summit, which would feature discussions on entrepreneurship, leadership, and sustainable development among other topics, is aimed to harness the potential of Kogi’s youth and provide them with the knowledge and inspiration, needed for them to meaningfully contribute to the development of the state.
Ayebe described the summit as crucial for both state and national development, providing a platform for youths from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and address key societal issues.
The event will also showcase youth talents in arts and sports, enabling them to pursue their passions.
The first state chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria,Dr. Haroun Opotu Yussuff,was among other stake holders in youth movement that attended the press conference
