By Solomon Gumah
Walewale (NE/R), June 11, GNA – The North East Regional Youth Parliament of the National Youth Authority (NYA) has been inaugurated at Walewale, with a call on the youth to eschew social vices and channel their exuberance into meaningful ventures for national development.
Mr Mumuni Sulemana, the NYA Director for Northern, North East and the Savannah Regions, at the inauguration, said the role of young people in accelerating national development remained critical and could not be compromised.
He stressed that the future development of the nation largely hinged on the youth, hence the need for young people to be holistically guided and guarded to refrain from tendencies that could trigger violence, disturb national peace, social cohesion, and subsequently retard development.
The Youth Parliament is an initiative enshrined in the 2010 National Youth Policy, and aimed at providing them with an official platform where they can learn how to express their views, give constructive criticisms, and ultimately participate effectively in the decision-making processes on various development issues at the local level.
Mr Mumuni explained that the issues of national development and inclusive participation in governance were of prime importance because sustainable development could only thrive in an environment where young people were actively involved.
He emphasised the need for the youth to cultivate the culture of time consciousness, the virtue of hard work, truthfulness, and honesty to help contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the country.
Mr Harrison Yevu, the Officer at the Narcotics Control Commission, North East Regional office, sensitised the youth on the harmful effects of drugs abuse enumerating its psychological impact on their education and overall well-being.
He expressed worry over the surging prevalence of mental health issues among the youth and called on parents and other stakeholders in the communities to support government’s efforts at minimising the abuse of drugs among the youth.
The leadership of the inaugurated Youth Parliament included Abubakari Moari Khasifatu as Speaker, Iddrisu Abdul – Samed, Deputy Speaker, Sumani Sahiddle Kawnaini as Majority Leader, Abdulai Zainab, Deputy Majority Leader, Sumani Tijani Issah as Minority Leader, Baba Salamatu, Deputy Minority Leader, Fuseini Munawara, Majority Chief Whip and Alhassan Arimiyaw as the Minority Chief Whip.
The house held its inaugural sitting on the motion: “Drug and Substance Abuse Among the Youth in North East Region, Causes, Effects and Way Forward.”
Both the majority and the minority expressed their frustration over the increasing rate of drugs abuse cases being recorded among the youth, citing issues of poor parental care, poverty, unemployment, and the inability of government to fully implement policies and programmes that facilitated their safety and well-being.
They called for more investments in the skills development of the youth to enable them create jobs and other business opportunities to reduce the number of young people involved in abusing drugs.
GNA