ELDERS FORETELL BLOODY ELECTION IN 2019

Akwa Ibom elders have expressed concerns over high rate of youths’ unemployment in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections, worrying that such class of youths could become willing tools in the hands of politicians to foment trouble during the polls.

            Organized under the aegis of  Ibom Development and Empowerment Assembly (IDEA), the elders have therefore called on the state government to make youth friendly policies to gainfully and responsibly accommodate and engage the youths. 

            Speaking at the special thanksgiving ceremony held at the Humility Glory Mission (HGM), Osongama Estate, Uyo, the State capital, the elders said they were compelled to come together to draw government's attention to the problem.

            Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the group, Prof. Alfred Young Ita, who spoke on behalf of the team, said they were committed to advise governor Udom Emmanuel, on how to meaningfully engage the restive youths in order to douse tension in the polity.

            His words “We are determined as a socio-political and None Governmental Organization (NGO) to assist the administration of governor Udom Emmanuel on how best to achieve set goals of governance". 

            He noted that the youths which constitute a greater percentage of the population should not be allowed to roam freely without meaningful jobs.

            The University Don explained further that they were on a mission to create an enabling environment for government policies and programmes to thrive, adding that “the laudable policies of government can only be sustained in an atmosphere devoid of violence”.

            The Professor of Microbiology at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), charged government to create jobs and other empowerment schemes that would redirect the psyche of the youths towards productive ventures.

            He however assured that his team will go the extra mile to re-orientate the youths as strategic partners in the development of the State, adding: “we want them to see government projects as their own and to stop antagonistic postures”.

            He said the group would work towards ensuring the realization of governor Emmanuel’s second term in 2019, but urged the administration to invest in both physical and human development, pointing out that such gesture would recommend the administration for reelection without much opposition.