The Rivers State Youth Federation, RSYF, said they have met the clerk of Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Odili to register their displeasure and sympathize with the families of the four Uniport Students killed by the Umuokiri-Aluu vigilante mob and the 40 Mubi polytechnic students in Adamawa State killed by unknown gunmen.
“We as youths of Rivers State are not happy with the incident. We want to clearly state that we will blame the actions of the young men who called themselves vigilante, on the uncivilized attitude and lack of sensitization in an unusual co-existence. As vigilante, what they would have done was to hand them over to the security agencies or to the school authority for proper discipline to be taken, instead of taking laws into their hands which is not acceptable. We encourage the security agencies to investigate what led to the killing of the four students and properly prosecute the suspects without delay,” the RSYF president, Adokiye Mujiton, angrily expressed.
Speaking further, Mujiton opined that the earlier scheduled award night on the 17th October has been postponed and a new date would be communicated to all awardees and invitees.
The RSYF president further expressed dismay over the failure of the security system and urged the security agencies to be up and doing to see to it that situations like this would always be monitored.
“If there is a good network between the security agencies and indigenes of communities, vital information would have been passed to the security agents,” Mujiton maintained, while urging the Nigerian police to investigate the wanton killing of the students, and that the IGP should not sleep until those involved were arrested and prosecuted according to the law.
On the flood victims, the Rivers State Youth Federation through their president, Adokiye, expressed gratitude to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, state governors and local government authorities, companies, Donor agencies and NGOs for acting fast in sending relief materials to the affected victims, stressing that Orashi region was the worst in Rivers State, as the indigenes have now become refugees in their own communities.
On the area of NDDC’s youth empowerment, Adokiye congratulated the management and board of NDDC for striving to empower the Niger Delta youths, particularly the female youths. He called on the office of the SA on youths to be proactive in terms of youth’s development.
“It is very unfortunate that the Rivers State youths that took part in the programme were not up to the number of participants in other states and the youths of Rivers State have been relegated to the background under this administration and we are not happy. We therefore call on the NDDC to live up to expectations,” the RSYF president stated, pointing out that if they find out that Rivers State youths were marginalized in the scheme, they would do everything possible to draw the attention of the commission.
The youths further lambasted NDDC following its failure to absorb the only female candidate in the just concluded skills acquisition empowerment.
The RSYF said they had a courtesy call to the Rivers State Commissioner of NDDC, Professor I. Aminigo on 26th January in order to vie for skill acquisition forms, other empowerment benefits and minor contracts.
According to Mujiton, only one form was given to them, which was subsequently given to the only female among them, as the form was only meant for females.
RSYF alleged that NDDC in collaboration with Livewire and SPDC failed to include the only female, as the combined team of companies gave money and starter-packs equipment to the successful candidates, maintaining that excluding the only of RSYF female was a deliberate act.
The Rivers State Youth president, Adokiye Mujiton and Mma Oba, the only female said “most of those successful candidates never filled the forms, they were hand-picked and with this we can see that our courtesy call to the NDDC’ commissioner was in vain even after assuring us other benefits.”
However, efforts to communicate with the NDDC Representative, Prof. I. Aminigo through his SA, Pst. David, proved abortive as he has been very busy with other official duties within the state. ###
Bennett James
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