COMMUNIQUE FROM THE NIGERIAN YOUTH ROUND TABLE ON 2007 ELECTIONS/
PARTY MANIFESTOS



I write with great pleasure to present a summary report and communiqué
from the Nigerian Youth Roundtable on 2007 Elections and Political
Parties Manifestos organized by Youngstars at the Royalton Hotel
Conference Hall, Garki, Abuja, between Wednesay 4th ? Thursday 5th,
April, 2007.

The Rountable was scheduled for 30 youths leaders but over 40 youth
leaders from about 10 states where in attendance. For the 2 days, the
youths examined available party manifestoes to see how the parties
have mainstreamed youth issues in their program vis-à-vis what young
people peoples should expect from them when they assume government. It
also provided an open forum for young people from different zones to
unite and articulate what they considered as major issues/challenges
to national youth development.

The 2 days meeting also gave birth to questions of how young people
can become more involved in budget tracking and monitoring; 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, there is already a thinking of how to
review the administration when the new government is established later
in the year. For us in Youngstars, bearing some of these outcomes, we
consider the Youth Roundtable a huge success and the beginning of a
very strategic youth participation in national development, and we
promise to keep your office posted. Meanwhile, please find attached a
copy of the Nigeria Youth Roundtable Communique for your perusal.


OBSERVATIONS:
1. Parties tried to highlight some basic national issues but did not
exhibit dept of thought and initiative in articulating how such major
national issues shall be strategically addressed. For instance, no
manifesto articulated Nigeria current power situation and how it hopes
to tackle it in a time-bound way. Invariable, Nigeria may remain a
?Generator Driven Economy? for many more years to come.

2. Most parties recognized the importance of youths in nation building
and successor generation plan. However, parties did not articulate any
strategic youth agenda or plan for achieving youth development in
Nigeria when they assume government, nor did they articulate how they
intend to include young people in decision and policy making processes.

3. Most parties reiterated the importance education plays in nation
building and pledged improvement in the education sector, including
restructuring the NYSC. However, manifestos 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.

4. Most party manifestos also agreed that job creation and poverty
reduction are major challenges facing the Nigeria nation, especially
young people. Again parties made promises to create job and reduce
poverty without showing how the jobs shall be created, which sectors
shall create the jobs, or how many jobs shall be created annually.

5. Majority of the party Manifestos 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. Majority of the parities did not commit to sustain the fight
against corruption. Most of the parties did not show interest in the
idea of character development, values, ethics and leadership as a core
area of focus for nation building.

In general, participants are of the view that political parties
deliberately produced manifestos that are specific, measurable and
time bond, so that when they don?t perform up to expectation when in
government, citizens cannot use their manifestos against them.


In view of the above, the participants made far reaching
recommendations which also includes what youths feel are key issues
the next government needs to give priority in addressing youth
development in Nigeria; thus, the recommendations are as follows:

1. POWER GENERATION: That the next government must move Nigeria from
being a ?Generator Driven Economy? to a ?Non-Generator Driven
Economy?; by prioritizing solving the electricity power problem of the
nation. To do this, a very comprehensive and achievable plan of action
needs to be articulated and implemented with highest ethical and
professional standard possible.

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:

After Handover on May 29th, 2007, 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 2008 ? 2011.

That the newly created Federal Ministry of Youth Development must be
maintained by the new 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 Review which is overdue should be
reviewed with broad based participation of young people at all levels
of the review. Moreso, 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, Man O?
War, should be restructured and made more democratic, accountable and
representational of their youth constituencies.

That a legislation be made to back the creation of a national youth
parliament as a platform that enables young people to make inputs and
participate in national development issues from the grassroots,
vis-à-vis complimenting the National Youth Council of Nigeria.


That Legislation be made to back the establishment of a National Youth
Fund, which shall be managed by adults, young people and including
respectable persons from the private sector. The Fund is to facilitate
some of the following:
(a) Micro-credit facilities for young entrepreneurs.
(b) Grants to proposal for projects from youth organizations
(c) Participation of Nigeria youths in local and foreign youth related
events.
(d) Special Projects like Youth Festival, Summer Camps, capacity
building training among others

That the Niger Delta issues be given priority and young people should
be involved in the process of managing and resolving the Niger Delta
Crisis.

That a Review of the 1999 Constitution, especially in the area of who
can contest for elective post. Youths demand that the qualification
for elective posts should be such that all persons who can vote
automatically qualify to be voted for.

3. 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.

The recent scrapping of Polytechnic Education should be reversed
considering the role polytechnics can play in technology development
if well funded and structured.

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.

Teachers welfare, training and provision of adequate infrastructure
should be improved on as a matter of urgency

4. Job Creation: youths commends the efforts of the current
administration in job creation and recommends that the next government
must deliberately pursue industrialization and local content as a way
of creating more jobs.

Moreso, 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
have 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.

5. 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.

Annual Young ICT Competitions and Exhibitions should be organized to
further boost the participation of young in the sector growth in
Nigeria.

6. 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
INEC and the 2007 Elections: There is no doubt that this is a very
important period in the history of our nation hence our appeal for all
and sundry to get involved to make this nation the true giant of
Africa that she really is.

As we count down to the elections proper we implore INEC to justify
the confidence reposed in them by Nigerian youths by conducting a free
and fair elections come April, 2007.

We also like to appeal to political parties and candidates to
demonstrate political sportsmanship as election is not a do or die
affair.

And to the youths, we must shun political thuggery and election
violence. Our power is in our Votes??lets all step out and vote wisely
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!