A youth-focused civic engagement organisation, Yiaga Africa, has launched a Not Too Young to Run Hub at the Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola.
The hub is tasked to mobilise students and other young people around the university and the host community to participate in active politics and improve the system.
Officials of Yiaga Africa who inaugurated the hub as part of activities funded by Open Society Foundation, delivered lectures on the objectives of the hub, after which some of the students were picked to lead the hub.
The Media Officer of Yiaga Africa, Solomon Yakubu who gave the introductive speech, said the organisation seeks to improve youth participation in governance.
“What we are here to establish in this university is a nonpartisan body that will act to improve participation in democracy. We want to ensure that citizens deliver their roles in efforts to make democracy work,” Solomon Yakubu said.
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Delivering one of the papers for the establishment of the Not Too Young to Run Hub, a program officer of Yiaga Africa, Mr Olaniyan Sanusi, explained, “We use schools as platforms for the hub because it is easier to reach youths in schools. Our program is for the young, in or outside the school environment.”
He challenged youths to use their energies to effectively participate in politics, stressing, “You dominate the entertainment scene: Music, acting, sports. Why not get into politics and deploy that energy to change things?”
The Senior Program Officer of Yiaga Africa, Anthonia Onda, delivering a paper on Principles of Transformative Leadership, similarly advised youths: “Don’t say no youth has got this office before. Seek to be the effective first.”
Senior Program Officer of Yiaga Africa, Anthonia Onda fielding questions from newsmen during the event in MAU, Yola