Youth Action Partners for Development
Youth Action Partners for Development (YAP4D)
Lynette Turner's Page
Gifts Received
Lynette Turner has not received any gifts yet
Profile Information
- Location
- Milford, Connecticut, USA
- Name:
- Lynette Turner
- About Me:
- Positivoligist working to to help people live a more balenced, service-oriented life.
- Name of Organisation:
- Positivebliss, LLC
- Location:
- Connecticut, USA
- Why did you join this network?
- To assist with an important cause
- What projects are you currently working on?
- Have collected over a thousand books to send to The Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation in Limbe, Cameroon. This is called The Words Across The World project.
About
Videos
-
Merry Christmas
Added by Doris Anne Beaulieu
-
Happy Halloween
Added by Doris Anne Beaulieu
Badge
© 2009 Created by Timothy Ogene on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
Comment Wall (7 comments)
You need to be a member of Youth Action Partners for Development to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
President Yar’adua on assumption of office as President in 2007 following the plethora of allegations of widespread fraud marring the April 14th and 21st elections constituted an Electoral Reform Committee to review our electoral process and make recommendations to the government for implementation. The 22 man committee led by retired Justice Lawan Uwais had its membership constituted by credible and well meaning Nigeria like Barr. Festus Okoye, Prof. Grace Alele Williams, Prof. Bola Akinyemi, Prof. Attahiru Jega the list can go on. No YOUTH was appointed as a member of the committee.
As a society, we are not good at encouraging young people to get active in political life. Our civil life cannot be complete if the ideas and opinions of young people are missing from campaigns and grassroots effort to change policy. Young people have been ignored so much on matter concerning the electoral reform. We have come to a crossroads where we must determine our destiny as a nation and the youths must be carried along.
It is beyond contention that Nigerian elections are mostly perversion of democracy and youths have always been on the receiving end because we have yield ourselves as tool and instruments used by the politicians to subvert electoral processes.
One of our peculiar characteristics is our proclivity for talking serious issues to oblivion. We love to talk the talk but when it gets to the point to work, we shrink from taking decisive steps to get things done. If youths are encouraged and given adequate space to engage the electoral reform process thereby encouraging them to fulfill civil responsibilities now, we are directly building a strong foundation for civic engagement in the future. As young people, we possess ingenious ideas and energy needed to advocate for the full implementation of the electoral reform committee recommendations.
Our present leaders will leave office one day for us to occupy. Is it not reasonable and thoughtful to give young people in a space and a voice in the process?
It is not out of place to posit that most youth groups and student bodies like NANS, SUG, NYC have become politicized and exist as youth wings of some political parties. Instead of representing the interest of youths in Nigeria they have sold our birthright to this crop of politicians who mean no good for young people. Notwithstanding credible young Nigeria emerge every day. Are you one of those who are poised to foster change in our motherland?
Now that Nigeria is said to be at a crossroad, her young people have to be given the opportunity to be seen, to be heard, and to take part in the Government so that they will begin to take responsibility and play their part in moving the nation forward. Young people must realize that the earlier we begin to mobilize ourselves to advocate and engage the electoral reform process, the better it is for us. We must get to the point where “when we speak the government must shake”.
It is time for us to take a stand!
We have power in our numbers!
We demand full implementation of the Electoral Reform Committee Recommendations.
Samson Itodo
Youth Action Initiative Africa
University of Jos
08032894709
samlaw04@yahoo.com
“We must speak and the government must shake”
regards
ronald
l will be glad
my emil address is roneykey@gmail.com
If Obama can, You can too.
Remain blessed
Below is the fallout of the Breakfast Dialogue on How Nigeria’s Democracy fared in 2008. Read on and make your comment, contribution and suggestions. An initiative of Youth Action Initiative Africa with support from University of Jos American Corner.
I write with great pleasure to present a summary report and communiqué from the Breakfast Dialogue on How Nigeria’s Democracy fared in 2008. The Breakfast Dialogue organized by Youth Action Initiative Africa at the American Corner on 29th January 2009 was aimed at giving participants the opportunity to evaluate Nigeria’s democracy in 2008 with a view of strategizing for 2009. The Dialogue addressed important issues as they relate to democracy in Nigeria including youth participation, electoral reforms, anti-corruption, religious tolerance, human rights, media and press freedom.
The Dialogue had in attendance 25 youths, an academician & a vibrant constitutional lawyer of high repute Prof. Nnamdi Aduba of the Faculty of Law, University of Jos, Uncle Chuks a staff of the American Corner and Staff of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). The youths came together to exchange views and ideas on how Nigeria’s democracy fared in 2008. The youths also examined how the government mainstreamed youth issues in their program in 2008 vis-à-vis what young people peoples should expect from them in 2009. It also provided an open forum for young people to unite and articulate what they considered as major issues/challenges to national youth development.
The meeting also gave birth to questions on how the proficiency and capacity of young people would be built to understand government policies, how young people can become more involved in governance processes; and how young people can also become more involved in sectoral performance review at the end of each year; to see how the different government ministries and agencies perform especially the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Development. For us in Youth Action Initiative Africa, bearing some of these outcomes, we consider the Breakfast Dialogue a huge success and the beginning of a very strategic platform to make the voices of young people heard with a view of assisting in resolving Nigeria’s political, economic and social problems because young people need to play active roles in shaping the future of Nigeria and its political process.
OBSERVATIONS:
1. Nigeria’s Democracy in 2008 witnessed some creditable exploits especially in the Judiciary with very applauding pronouncements. In terms of general performance, the Nigerian judiciary has often been described as the most credible branch of government in the current democratic dispensation. This is because with some of its landmark decisions in recent times, this third arm of government has not only upheld the rule of law; it has also largely redirected the executive and even the legislature from certain precipice. But unfortunately, in 2008, public celebration or excitement over the seemingly independent judiciary has not given majority of Nigerians cause to cheer. The year 2008 witnessed a lot of contradictions in the judgments of the courts that has affected the confidence of voters in moral capacity to restore their mandate. This is evidenced in the decision of the court in the cases involving the governors of Kebbi and Sokoto states delivered by the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, and that of governors of Enugu and Cross River states delivered in Enugu and Calabar respectively.
2. The anti corruption campaign in 2008 was flawed in so many areas especially in the way and manner some cases were handled. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had a lot of cases to prosecute but did not live up to expectation. Even though anti-corruption agencies like EFCC and ICPC demonstrated commitment to sustain the fight against corruption they did not show interest in the idea of character development, values, ethics and leadership as a core area of focus for nation building.
3. Government recognized the importance of youths in nation building and successor generation plan. However, she did not articulate any strategic youth agenda or plan for achieving youth development in Nigeria, nor did they articulate how they intend to include young people in decision and policy making processes thereby making such policies anti - youth.
4. Most government policies reiterated the importance education plays in nation building and pledged improvement in the education sector, including restructuring the NYSC. However, government did not articulate clear vision and objectives for this sector, i.e, curriculum review, clear plans for technical/vocational education among others, how to double the number of admission opportunities into universities annually, plans for students who do not secure admission etc.
5. The government though committed to attaining the Millennium Development Goals did not articulate how they intend to pursue the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and NEEDS especially in relation to young people’s issues and their involvement in the process.
6. Human rights observance in 2008 was very poor and the system of attaining social justice needs urgent attention. There were so many extra- judicial killings, the ouster of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu from EFCC & the Police, the closure of Channels Television for some days were among some of the issues that heated the polity in 2008 and are clear indications of the ill-fated way on how the government treated human rights issues in 2008.
7. The inclusion of women into the mainstream of governance was very low especially in the recent appointment of ministers.
In general, participants are of the view that there is willingness on the part of government to practice true democracy but failed in its implementation process. Participants also posit that though some successes were recorded and we made very little headway in our polity, Nigeria’s democracy didn’t fare too well in 2008.
In view of the above, the participants made far reaching recommendations which also includes what youths feel are key issues the government needs to give priority in addressing youth development in Nigeria; thus, the recommendations are as follows:
1. EDUCATION: Youths recommend the implementation of a Free and Compulsory Education for every child within school age up to Secondary Education. This needs to be backed with legislation to make it illegal for children of school age to be denied education.
Youths also recommend as a matter of national urgency, a review of our current educational curriculum to be more interactive/inventive; so that our institutions can graduate more of job creators, technical persons and inventors to move the country forward. The tertiary institutions need to be adequately funded.
Teacher’s welfare, training and provision of adequate infrastructure should be improved on as a matter of urgency.
2. ACCELERATING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE: To accelerate youth development and to better harness the dynamic potentials of young people for nation building involves more than education and football (sports), youths recommend that: A National Youth Forum be convened with the view of harnessing the inputs of young people in formulating a broad based and youth owned national youth agenda.
That the Federal Ministry of Youth Development must be maintained by the government and be adequately funded to carry out strategic youth development programs for Nigerian youths.
If necessary, there should be a national legislation mandating all the 36 states including the FCT to create a separate ministry of Youth Development not attached to sports or women, to operate solely for the purpose of youth programs at the state levels.
The Minister for the Federal Ministry of Youth Development should be below the ages of 35years, and the position should be through application. Adverts should be placed on national newspapers and youth based online networks for suitably qualified youths who must have been involved in youth work for a minimum of 5 years to apply. The recruitment / selection board should comprise of representatives from the federal youth ministry, development partners, private sectors, young people and respected leaders in society.
The National Youth Policy Document which is overdue should be reviewed with broad based participation of young people at all levels of the review. More so, the document should be widely circulated in every school, youth organization / associations, and libraries among others.
That all umbrella bodies of youth organizations like National Youth Council of Nigeria, National Association of Nigeria Students, National Youth Parliament, Student Union Government should be restructured and made more democratic, non – partisan, accountable and representational of their youth constituencies.
That in the Review of the 1999 Constitution, the voices of young people cannot be neglected. We demand more space to actively participate in the constitutional review process. For instance, in the area of who is legible to contest for an elective position. Youths demand that the qualification for elective posts should be such that all persons who can vote automatically qualify to be voted for.
3. Job Creation: youths commends the efforts of the current administration in job creation and recommends that in 2009 the government must deliberately pursue industrialization and local content as a way of creating more jobs.
More so, the process of diversifying the economy has had tremendous benefits and much more jobs could be created if areas like agriculture, tourism, solid minerals among others are fully supported to grow.
The Small and Medium Scale Enterprise and NAPEP among others should be further encouraged to focus more on programs and offers that shall identify, empower and grow many more young entrepreneurs into big time entrepreneurs, industrialists and large employers of labour.
4. Information Communication Technology: bearing in mind that we are in an information technology driven age, youths recommend that Youth ICT Villages or Academies be set up in every state of Nigeria to harness the potentials of young people, to also financially empower them financially and earn the nation foreign exchange in the nearest future.
5. FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION /CAMPAIGN ON CHARACTER AND ETHICS: That the fight against corruption must be sustained and that all agencies involved in the fight against corruption like ICPC, EFCC and all other related agencies should be sustained and further strengthened to be autonomous to perform effectively.
That a national campaign on character, values, ethics and leadership should be initiated and agencies such as the National Orientation Agency be further strengthened and funded to be the at the forefront of this campaign for ethics and moral values in all aspect of our national live.
IN CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that this is a very important period in the history of our nation because on May 29 2009 our democracy will be 10 years at a stretch. The question would be whether the dividends of democracy has been delivered to the people. Perhaps we may also ask what legacies our present day leaders are going to leave behind for us to learn and espouse. Hence our appeal for all and sundry is to get involved to make this nation the true giant of Africa that she really is. We implore the government to justify the confidence reposed in them by Nigerian youths by formulating policies that would better the lives of young people in Nigeria and give us hope for the future.
And to the youths, we must shun political thuggery and violence. Let’s renew our hopes in our dear country. I tell you NIGERIA CAN WORK. Our power is in our numbers, We have energy, We have ideas. Now we have a voice!
……let’s all step out and shun every form of corruption and violence and let Nigeria be great!
We believe in Nigeria and in democratic governance.
Long live the federal republic of Nigeria!
Long live responsible Nigerian youths!
Long live African union!