The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), a non-governmental and non-profit organization has taken up the gauntlet to build the capacity of youths interested in political offices in the Niger-Delta.
The Centre shall from April 23 -25, 2018 train 60 youths in Delta State. Penultimate week, it concluded the training of 47 youths in Edo State, where it apart from building their skills conscientize them to participate in active politics.
The Edo trained youths eulogised the Centre and expressed optimism to participate in the 2019 elections by contesting and vying for different elective positions.
In a statement separately signed by the Senior Programme Officer of the Centre, Amodu Lawal and Mrs Tracy Agol, Chairperson of Inter-Party Advisory Committee, (IPAC) Edo state chapter, said the need for youths to be trained before going into active politics is imperative to enable them to have their skills sharpened and get positioned to deliver good governance when they come into the saddle.
The Edo State IPAC Chair maintained that she will use her office to ensure that a good percentage of youths are represented as Party Executives and are given a level playing ground during an election.
The capacity building which is targeted for the youths of the Niger Delta will be implemented and focused on three states in the region, including; Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo states but for youth between the ages of 24 – 34 years.
The capacity building programme will help streamline and redefine the participation of youths in politics from being used as willing tools for thuggery and other unethical practices, but pave way for their participation in mainstream politics of the Niger Delta and the country.
The statement enjoined stakeholders including politicians, political parties and well-meaning Nigerian to ensure that the youths are supported and given the chance to lead at various levels of governance.