Elizabeth Ikegima and others
It is exactly 25 days to the 2023 General Elections with the electoral umpire and stakeholders getting ready for Nigerians to exercise their franchise on February 25th 2023 and more seems to be unfolding as the day goes by. So is the case for the National Association of Political Science Students, South South Region. It was another intellectual convention opportunity for the students of the University of Benin in a colourful event organized by the National Association of Political Science Students (NAPSS), South Region in partnership with the 156th Ecowas Youth Ambassador (EYC). This year’s Regional Youth Development Convention which is the first ever organized, held on the 31st January, 2023 witnessed maximum participation by students from the host university – University of Benin, Delta State University, Ambrose Ali University and other schools in the Niger Delta region. The event also witnessed the presence of special delegates from different organizations; ACJ UNIBEN, JCI, Go A Bit further Africa amongst others.
In an opening speech by Success Walter, NAPSS Regional Coordinator, she expressed her gratitude to her colleagues and appreciated the 156th Ecowas Youth Ambassador who happens to be a major master mind to the success of the convention. She stated further that the theme of the event, “2023 General Election and Youth Participation in Governance; A panacea for Youth Development ” is a theme that is chosen at a crucial moment, where the general elections is going to take place few weeks from now.
Also speaking at the event, Ambassador Emmanuel Agida, the 156th Ecowas Youth Ambassador in his opening speech, acknowledged participants for registering their presence and also stated that the program is aimed at addressing politics and governance. “We believe that as young people, we are the highest remnant of the country and we have the highest voting capacity. We have the strongest workforce and we are vibrant.” He then left participants with a question, “But, with this number, have we made the right decision?”
He proceeded, “We have many young person’s who have contested for the office of the president. In a normal sense, in a working economy, most of these persons don’t align their policies with what we do. This is because, we expect that they start from the grassroot.” He also encouraged participants to build capacity. “It’s not about being in a political office, it’s about capacity. Do we have young people who can represent us? So, it goes beyond being in political offices. This program aims to address issues concerning capacity development. How can young people develop capacity ahead? How can we start small and grow big? How do we address issues concerning competency and integrity? And that is why we put this event together. To ensure that young people have one voice in the country.”
In an expository session by an invited guest, Abiodun Christopher, speaking on the theme, shared his success story with participants stating how he started and how far he has come. According to him, Politics is beyond contesting for an election and been in an office. Speaking further, he said that the major problem of Nigeria is bad leadership. He stated, “As Nigerians, we should not just pay attention to leadership, we should also pay attention to followership.” Also, he encouraged participants to be creative and take skills acquisition seriously. He made the participants understand that creativity can be of great importance to the country and the world at large. He also encouraged participants to get involved in the grassroot. “Changing your world is not just about being in power. We have to get involved in the grassroot, serving our communities in order to make positive changes.” He stated further, “politics is not just about contesting and being voted for but to empower and impact lives positively. One of the most effective way to change a nation or a people is to change the way they think. The way we think is the way we become and attending conferences changes the way we think. If we are going to change Nigeria, then we have to take responsibility.” In his concluding statement, he admonished participants to be medially active, which is his focus, “using the media space to change the world” He said, “Our social media presence is key factor to change Nigeria. We have to learn to let our voices be heard.”
Afterwards, the event witnessed a student panel session where different student leaders were able to dissect the theme of the event in order to enlighten participants the more.
In an interview session with Success Walter, the NAPSS Regional Coordinator rated the turn out of the event and how well they are reaching out to students, “I will rate the turnout a ninety nine over hundred percent. The turn out is really, really massive even more than we budgeted for. NAPSS, currently have our handles via social media platforms, which is our Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, the official media partner for this regional convention is the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Benin Chapter who are covering the event.
In another interview with the NAPSS Public Relations Officer, Vlaar Mattias stated what the event is set to address, “This seminar is to address the aspect of who we think we can put into the various political offices, that can actually fast track and have our voice. Those who can stand in for us”
Ambassador Emmanuel Agida, also in an interview stated how the convention will affect the UNIBEN community, “The convention will have a very positive influence on the UNIBEN community because the convention is geared towards the 2023 General Elections and how we can foster youth participation in governance and politics. The election is just around the corner. We want to ensure that we make right decisions that would portray the leadership of the nation. Because, the type of leader that you elect will determine the type of nation that you get. The aim of this program is to enlighten young people on what they should expect from the leaders in terms of capacity, mental health, transparency, integrity and power.”
In an interview with one of the participants, Christopher Deborah Iniobong, a 300L student from the department of Educational Foundations, University of Benin, shared her thoughts regarding the event, “The program with theme, 2023 General Elections and Youth Participation in Politics: A Panecea for National Development was one where youths were to deliberate and critically address the dilapidated state of the nation.”
In the close of event, the organizers appreciated the audience, special delegates and guest speakers for honouring the invitation.
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