NGO urges govt to adopt communities dialogue with youth

By Usman Shuaibu

The President/Founder of African Grassroot Employment Organization (AFRIGEO), Prince Gomene Namene, who is also the Director-General of the Youth Campaign for Local Government Autonomy (YCLOGAN), has called on the government of the day to as a matter of urgency to partner with the youths across the communities in the country to put an end to some pending issues that are generating tensions in the society today.
He said: “FFRIGEO wishes to re-awake the Federal Government’s consciousness on the need to adopt community youth-leaders dialogue, a platform designed to checkmate crimes and conflict at the grassroots through strict youth/police relationship”.
Namene, who made the call while briefing the newsmen in Abuja, pleading with the government at all levels as well as security agencies to join hands with the leadership of AFRIGEO to restore peace among the youths in Nigeria.
His words: “AFRIGEO is set to lead way for dialogue between the Federal Government and various ethnic groups in the country. It is also important that government put in place a permanent structure to end ethnic clashes in the country”.
He recalled that the leadership of AFRIGEO in the past had carried out communities dialogue, as part of its mandates, saying that at this present time national unity was of significance to Nigerians.
On the local government autonomy, the charged the Federal Government to give the necessary attention to the Local Governments reform to fast track development at the grassroots level as well provide employment for the youths.
This, according to the Director-General of YCLOGAN, the state Houses of Assembly to give the autonomy to the local governments, while hailing the National House of Assembly on the recent constitution review of the Local governments for better administration.
While reacting to the current unrest in some states in the South-East arising from the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Namene condemned in strong terms, the current unrest caused by the principally agitator of Biafra country, Nnamdi Kanu that led to the killing of innocent citizens in the South-East.
The AFRIGEO President, however, commended the Governor of River State, Nesan Wike, Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Plateau state, Simon Lalong, Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kano state, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and Governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima among other prominent leaders for the steps being taken to calm the tension in the South-East when the military invaded the region.