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Okowa’s aide, Ozobo urges politicians to fight crime with massive employment, skill, entrepreneurship programmes

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• Says politicians should stop building prison, but build good roads, others

By Timi Black
Chief Correspondent

Foremost Niger Delta rights activist and the Special Assistant to the governor of Delta state on political matters, Comrade Ozobo Austin has called on politicians in the country, especially Niger Delta region to fight crime with massive youth employment, empowerment, entrepreneurship and skill training programmes in their constituencies.

The activist made the call while delivering lecture in Kiagbodo community annual convention in Burutu local government area of Delta state.

According to him, developing the youth would contribute to the societal peace, security, and general development.

The statement reads: “It is noted that transformed minds build, while untransformed minds destroy. There is a saying that a family of one rich man is a poor family. When youths are empowered, it will reduce dependency, crime, poverty and scarcity”.

Ozobo further added: “A youth whose mind is engaged will not have time for frivolities. An empowered youth will build houses and increase the financial strength and peace in such a society. So directly or indirectly, when we develop the youth we build the nation.”There is a saying that a society that fails to prepare for her future leaders is a failed society. Good parents will always prepare for their tomorrow by preparing their children to take over their reign.

“Nigeria, Ijaw nation or Kiagbodo as the case may be, can’t be developed when the youths are suffering and sidelined in the scheme of things. Leaders in every circle should have it at the back of their minds that Kiagbodo, like other societies, can not develop appreciably without the youths being developed academically, scientifically, financially, spiritually, psychologically, mentally, morally, vocationally and physically.

“This reminds me of our music legend of blessed memory, Lucky Dube, where he said: “I look around me but to see nothing but four gray walls staring at me. The policeman said to me, son they won’t build no school anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison. They won’t build no hospital anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison.
They won’t build no school anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison.
If I may ask, how do you describe this kind of society that chooses to build only prisons? To me it is a Banana Republic. It is a failed society.

“This bring us to another quote by Williams Shakespeare, where he said: “The evil that men do live after them.” This clearly depicts that when we fail to build the youth, there is always a repercussion. The danger of not developing the youth is always greater. It produces insecure society, where the rich and the political class will be hunted and which will in turn metamorphose into building of more prisons in lieu of roads, schools, hospital and industries.

Full text

A LECTURE DELIVERED BY HON. COMRADE OZOBO AUSTIN, NIGER DELTA RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE ON POLITICAL MATTERS, ON THE OCCASION OF KIAGBODO YOUTH ANNUAL CONVENTION WITH THE TOPIC: “YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AS A PANACEA FOR NATION BUILDING” HELD ON 25TH DEC, 2021 AT KIAGBODO TOWN.

Mr Chairman,
Father of the day,
Mother of the day,
The Clergy/ Spiritual Fathers of the day,
Traditional Chiefs,
Political leaders,
Kiagbodo youth president,
Members of Kiagbodo community,
Rights activists,
Gentlemen of the press,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I bring you good tidings of the season! More so, I appreciate the organizers of this event for giving me this privilege to be the guest speaker in this convention as a part of the Kiagbodo Ama-Benemo Annual Carnival.

A carnival is a festive occasion marked by parades and sometimes special foods and other entertainment. I am delighted being here not because I am one of you, but because it is a great tool of culture sustenance and norm and value preservation in our culture relegating generation. Another profound joy is the fact that the Youths–the bastions of culture stabilization and sustenance–are the ones organizing it. This means there is hope for the sustainability of our cultural norms and values that are fast eroding.

Creating a culture is not as difficult as preserving it. The avalanche of moribund cultures speaks volumes today. The entrenchment of borrowed culture, whether good or bad, has destroyed so much of our cultural heritage. So, this annual event you are organizing is one of the best things you are doing. For celebration like this brings people far and wide to enjoy in the common heritage of pure love, unity and oneness only found in the village or town. Keep it up!

However, the theme of this convention is: “Youth Development as Panacea for Nation Building.” For a proper understanding of our lecture topic, it is ideal that we take a proper look at the following terminologies, Youth, Development and Panacea.

There are various definitions about youth, depending on the country or society involve. But the dictionary defines youth as young people. According to Nigeria’s new youth policy 2019, youth are regarded as people of the age bracket of 15-29 years. However, the Nigerian National Youth Policy (2009) defines youth as between 18-35 years. However, the African Youth Charter recognises youths as people between 15–35. In UK, a youth is between 13 and 29 years. In United States Youth is between 14 and 25.

Then what is development? Development means advancement, progress, growth and transformation of a system, either educationally, financially, physically, scientifically, infrastructural wise etc.

While Panacea, means remedy, solution or road map to a problem.

Having understood the above terminologies, we can now proceed with our today’s discussion: “Youth Development as Panacea for Nation Building”.Youths development means empowering, transforming, supporting and increasing the capacity of the youth to enable them discover that which they are destined to become. This will invariably contribute to the societal peace, security, and general development. It is noted that transformed minds build, while untransformed minds destroy. There is a saying that a family of one rich man is a poor family. When youths are empowered, it will reduce dependency, crime, poverty and scarcity. A youth whose mind is engaged will not have time for frivolities. An empowered youth will build houses and increase the financial strength and peace in such a society. So directly or indirectly, when we develop the youth we build the nation.

There is a saying that a society that fails to prepare for her future leaders is a failed society. Good parents will always prepare for their tomorrow by preparing their children to take over their reign.

Nigeria, Ijaw nation or Kiagbodo as the case may be, can’t be developed when the youths are suffering and sidelined in the scheme of things. Leaders in every circle should have it at the back of their minds that Kiagbodo, like other societies, can not develop appreciably without the youths being developed academically, scientifically, financially, spiritually, psychologically, mentally, morally, vocationally and physically.

This reminds me of our music legend of blessed memory, Lucky Dube, where he said: “I look around me but to see nothing but four gray walls staring at me. The policeman said to me, son they won’t build no school anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison.
They won’t build no hospital anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison.
They won’t build no school anymore. All they will build will be prison, prison.
If I may ask, how do you describe this kind of society that chooses to build only prisons? To me it is a Banana Republic. It is a failed society.

This bring us to another quote by Williams Shakespeare, where he said: “The evil that men do live after them.” This clearly depicts that when we fail to build the youth, there is always a repercussion. The danger of not developing the youth is always greater. It produces insecure society, where the rich and the political class will be hunted and which will in turn metamorphose into building of more prisons in lieu of roads, schools, hospital and industries.

It is sad that today we are lamenting over youth restiveness, drugs abuse, cultism, Yahoo, hostage taking, ritual killing, religious killing, agitations and many more, because we have failed our youths and our generation.

In spite of the enormous oil and gas resources of Ijaw nation, poverty and scarcity are still the order of the day. There is no free education anymore, all they build is prison, prison. No more free medical care but all they build is prison, prison! No road, no water, no government youth capacity building programmes anymore. All they build is prison, prison!!
Politicians no longer represent the people but their families, no youth training and vocational programmes. All they build is prison, prison.

Sadly, nobody wants to associate with the youths anymore. Some communities have started disbanding youth activities. The youth who ought to be the future leaders, are now seen as second class citizens and trouble makers. This is the beginning of our problem as a community or a nation. No peace will be in view of a society that fails to build her youths. The slogan of Nigerian youth council is “build the youths, build the nation”. Kiagbodo youths must be developed like others in other climes. All hands must be on deck to build the youths as to create the desirable peace, security and development in our communities.

Invariably, when you develop the youth, you develop the nation or your community since the youth forms an integral part of the nation. This will help to solve societal problems that may hinder societal growth.

You can fight crime by building the youths through skill training, employment, vocational training, education and moral training. It is said that the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Many things contribute to the current lawlessness among youths. These variables are: joblessness, frustration, poverty, hunger, hopelessness and many more.

In conclusion, I advise that Kiagbodo youths like other youths be empowered financially and developed academically. More so, they should be considered for political appointments, elective offices, vocational and skill training which may in turn attract massive infrastructural, financial and educational development to our Communities.

Thanks and God bless you!

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