By Precious Oham
A group, Youth Leadership Development, YLD, has launched a policy brief to engage government through advocacy for inclusive and participatory governance in Ekiti State.
The Phase-Out/Policy Brief Launch titled: “Reforming Democratic Governance and Leadership for Sustained Prosperity and Cohesion in Ekiti State” held on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti.
In his address, the Convener, Leading the Future: Ekiti Youth Dialogue, Oluwamuyiwa Ajaja said the policy brief is aimed at ensuring that all voices of all young women and men are heard and valued.
The Convener revealed that the programme is funded by the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation and Luminate and supported by LEAP Africa and Nigeria Youth Future Fund to support and strengthen young Nigerians for youth leadership, activism etc.
He noted that there is a need for Nigerian young women and men to urgently reflect on the values, visions and aspirations of Nigeria’s founding fathers and the institutionalization of leadership mentorship centres across local governments.
Ajaja explained that the group published and publicized call for applications and selection process based on Gender Effect and Social Inclusion adding that they received about 100 applications and competitively streamlined the beneficiaries to 16 participants.
According to him, “developmental research indicates that Ekiti State is fraught with leadership deficiency, ineffective governance, corruption and weak bureaucratic institution.
“It is an axiom that since the attainment of state creation, Ekiti State has never been governed by selfless, truly and transformational leaders.
“Going by all the development parameters and performance indices, Ekiti State leaders have demonstrated low human capital index, with low growth, massive unemployment and rising inequality between the rich and the poor.”
Highlights of the event is the review, report and resolution on the policy brief by participants, who made recommendations and finalization of the document.
