CITAD urges politicians to mentor youth on leadership skill

By Aliyu Inuwa Mansir On Sep 17, 2023

CITAD , politicians, mentor, youth , leadership skill, — CITAD urges politicians to mentor youth on leadership skill

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on elected political leaders to mentor youth with leadership potential in order for them to begin the journey of political leadership.

Campaigns and Communication Officer, CITAD, Ali Sabo made the call on Friday in Kano at a news conference organized by the center to celebrate International Day of Democracy 2023.

According to him the theme of this year’s International Day of Democracy is; Empowering the Next Generation” and it focuses on the essential role of children and young people in safeguarding democracy today and in the future.

Sabo said people must support youth with massive investments in education, skills-building, and lifelong learning.

“You may recall that throughout the electioneering process, CITAD focused on the campaign for the inclusion of women and youth in the political and governance process which was done under its project titled Youth and Women Inclusion in Politics.”

“The objective of the project was to Campaign for Inclusion of Women and Young People in Political and Governance Processes (We-You Pro) and was designed to mobilize a critical mass of young people and women leading innovative campaigns towards translating citizens’ demands into policy actions and engender an inclusive decision-making political process that reflects the priorities of the young people and women in Kaduna and Kano States.”

“In response to the series of campaigns and activities, many youths and women responded positively by actively participating in active politics which led to some of them contested for various elected positions while others became card-carrying members of political parties, thus, massively supported the candidates of their political parties in the 2023 general elections.”

“It is also commendable that some of these politicians supported by these youth appreciated them by engaging them in their governments either as assistants, special assistants, special advisers and to some extent appointed in some agencies and parastatals.”

“However, going by the populations of youth and women in the country which constitutes about 61% of the total population, and the number of youths appointed by these politicians we can firmly assert that the number is negligible and did not either correspond with the youth population in the electorates nor with the commitments, sacrifices and active participation of the youth in the process.”

“We therefore, as part of this celebration call on the politicians elected into power to encourage the youth that participated and supported them during their campaigns through effective inclusion into the decision processes of their governments or offices.”

“Know that any decision-making process that neglects 61% of the population of whose decision is taken on their behalf is not an inclusive decision nor is its participatory which democracy is all about.”

“Support the teeming youth in their constituencies in terms of their education, economic and social inclusion to ensure that these youth attain their potentials for the betterment of the country and to mentor some of the youth with leadership potentials to also begin the journey of political leadership.”