By IGBONAKA CHUKWU, Enugu

Sequel to the emergency security meeting held on Tuesday in Enugu by Igbo leaders and stakeholders, the youth wing of the apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has lashed out at the conveners of the meeting for excluding the youth constituency from the meeting, pointing out that that lapse indicated disdain for the youths and unseriousness of the leaders.

In a reaction contained in a communique issued and signed by Mazi Chika Adiele, the National Publicity Secretary of the youth wing, the youths said that:

“We have read with utter disappointment, a communique issued after a purported South-East stakeholders’ meeting involving the governors of the South-East, select political leaders, clergy and representatives from the traditional institution with the ludicrous exclusion of Southeast youths, and we wish to observe and state as follows:

“That the convocation of this all important meeting without any invitation extended to the youth constituency in the South-East is a clear indication that South-East leaders have continued to hold the youths in inexplicable disdain.”

“That the current security situation in the South-East is as a result of the perennial disregard and neglect of Igbo youths by the leadership class, and the decision to convene such a meeting without any invitation extended to the youths or any reasonable youth group in the Southeast is a clear indication that these leaders are not sincere about solving the problem of the South-East”.

The communique noted “That the problem of the South-East cannot be solved without the youths being integral to discussions, plans and processes leading to such solutions.”

The Ohanaeze youth wing reiterated that the taking off of the Ebubeagu Security outfit was long overdue, warning that the outfit could not take off without the youths driving it from the formative stages, and therefore demanded that the existing committee charged with the responsibility of ensuring the takeoff of the Regional Security outfit be expanded to ensure adequate representation of youths on the committee.

The youth group threatened that “should the South-East leaders continue to relegate us in the affairs of the region, we shall have no other option but to resort to our own ideas in solving the problems of our region”.

The youths demanded that “a new stakeholders meeting should be convened within the next seven days and invitations to the meeting extended to youth bodies in the Southeast. And until this is done, we refuse to recognize that any stakeholders meeting took place in the South-East.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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