North East Group Demands Youth Inclusion In NEDC Devt Plan

A political pressure group, North East Alliance for Good Governance has given a seven-day ultimatum to North East Development Commission (NEDC) to include youths in its development plan or face protests from the youth groups in the zone.

The ultimatum is contained in a statement released by the group titled: “Immediate Action Required: 7-day Ultimatum Issued to the North-East Development Commission and Protest Action” jointly signed by its chairman, Ambassador Auwal Gotal and secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Ibrahim.

The group said, “The North-East Alliance for Good Governance, representing the interests and aspirations of the youths across the six states of the North East, is compelled to issue a stern ultimatum to the North East Development Commission.

“The commission’s failure to address the marginalisation and exclusion of young persons from the development agenda of the North East sub-region has left us with no choice.” 

The group said it would initiate a shutdown of the commission’s operations across the six states of the North East, saying this decision is not taken lightly, but was a necessary step to emphasise the urgency of its demands.

It said their demands are clear and just and called on the commission to create a platform for youth inclusion that enables them to make tangible impact on the development of the region as initially envisioned when the commission was established.

It insisted on seeing meaningful transformation and educational empowerment for the youths, commensurate with the substantial budgetary allocations made annually.