“Are you young? Are you Nigerian? Do Government policies affect you? Everyday provides ample opportunities to add value to our lives and the society for development and positive change”, this is one of the values which Youngstars Foundation thrives on to continually initiate programmes to engage young Nigerians positively. One of such programme is The Nigerian Youth E-forum which is designed to provide a nationwide platform for young people to understand government policies and articulate youths to engage effectively in policy making processes and good governance.
When I first got an online invitation to participate in the on-going debate on the 7-point agenda of President Yar’Adua, I literarily deleted it from my inbox because I mistook it for one of those “talk and waka pass” discussion forum (there are too many of them I must confess!). The E-forum has indeed proven to be different overtime, with about 100 members registering at the end of the first day (January 28th). The forum hopefully will run for 4 weeks to popularize the 7-point agenda of the present administration among young citizens who need to understand how best to influence policy makers towards more effective youth development.
The Agenda points:
1. Power and Energy.
1. Power and Energy.
2. Food Security and Agriculture
3. Wealth Creation and Employment
4. Mass Transportation
5. Land Reform
6. Security
7. Qualitative and Functional Education
Indeed, the 7-point agenda is not another acronym for political mediocrity, it is a set blue print of what the present government hopes to achieve during its tenure and beyond. It is their believe that the implementation of this 7-point agenda will help catapult Nigeria to become one of the 20 biggest economies by the year 2020. Do you support this Vision or do you believe it is a mere fallacy? How are young people being integrated into the process of its achievement? Since it is all about the future, is the “future” being carried along?
Whether you are a youth activist looking for an intellectual exercise, a policy maker or a young person just being but seeking to belong and make a change, a pedestal has been created on the E-forum for like-minded youths passionately strategizing to protect the future of Nigerian Youths! www.youngstarsfoundation.org is the website that will give you a more elaborate account of how you can participate- find your space, take a stand, speak out and be heard- they are listening!
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