NANS hail Obiano for appointing youths into cabinet

The Zone B of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Tuesday commended Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra for giving youths opportunities to be senior members of his cabinet. The students, led by the zone’s Coordinator, Mr Okorie Ikechukwu, gave the commendation when they paid a solidarity visit to Mr Tony Ezekwelu, the governor’s Senior Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation.

Ikechukwu said that Obiano’s empowerment of the youth through political and economic involvement had made him one of the most youth-oriented governors in the country. He applauded Obiano for not only appointing youths who were former members of their group as major stakeholders in the state but reserving slots for current students in tertiary institutions.

“We, the members of NANS, Zone B, have come to show our solidarity to you and to commend our governor for running a government with the highest number of youths as cabinet members. “We are pledging our support to him now and later, he has shown that he is a lover of youths by his disposition.

“And we want to call on other governors to emulate him on purposeful youth engagement in governance,’’ Ikechukwu said. Responding, Ezekwelu, who was a former coordinator of the zone, thanked the team for their solidarity and assured them of Obiano’s willingness to continue to support every segment of the society.

He said there was a wrong impression that youths were not mature to handle offices but the governor had shown that they could still contribute to nation building. Ezekwelu said the governor had set up skills acquisition centres in some parts of the state where youths could be trained and supported
for self-reliance.

He assured them that the governor was determined to address joblessness and youth exclusion which often resulted in restiveness. He urged them to eschew thuggery, violence, cultism and other vices and pledged the support of the government to youths and students.

The students presented Ezekwelu with a solidarity plaque as a worthy ambassador of NANS and motivator.