Your Excellency,

First, I want to appreciate your strategic efforts so far in ensuring that the youths of Delta State under your watch benefit from the SMART Agenda through series of programmes, ranging from Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP), to Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), and many other initiatives put in place by your administration.

Your Excellency, it is important I call your attention to the disunity occasioned and/or orchestrated by the undemocratic sharing of money to the youths from ethnic nationalities that fall under the range of Oil & Gas Producing Areas in the name of ‘Operation Feed your Neighbour’; an act considered as an abuse of democratic processes.

While the need to stop the sharing of money amongst the youths has become necessary, Deltans are not unaware that the initiative started from your predecessor, His Excellency, Dr Emmanuel Ewanta Uduaghan, an initiative we learnt was brought to the fore solely aimed at settling his weapons of mass destruction during electioneering periods. Deltans are asking questions already whether you share the same vision of sharing money with your predecessor, as pointed out above?

The sharing of the said money seems to have become a constituted and gazetted normal routine, hence I call your attention to the following:

1. That Deltans are not unaware that the said process is corrupt, unhealthy to your SMART Agenda and the abuses it’s unleashing to the sensibilities, ethics and tenets of true practice of democracy

2. That Deltans are not unaware that from onset, the leaders through which these monies are disbursed have turned the said money being expected on a monthly basis into an additional business venture, where making profits is a do-or-die affair

3. That Deltans are not unaware that the initiative has kept the few beneficiaries and other expectant youths on a lazy and unproductive lane in the comity of nations.

4. That Your Excellency should beware of the implications of sharing monies to youths who are doing nothing, because it increases the risk of youth restiveness and criminality in our communities, should they get disappointed by any leader delegated to do so

His Excellency might have been aware, through the Electronic Media Aides, that just within a period of months when there was delay in sharing this money as usual, the ever-expectant youths took to the social media in protest, pointing accusing fingers to their leaders who are also members of your cabinet

5. That Deltans are equally not unaware that the said money is being benefited by very few, and the same set of youths on monthly basis

6. That this act of sharing money is appalling and offensive, as this money-sharing initiative has brought about disunity among our youths, who have turned themselves into enemies due to the actions and inactions of the State Government; and the government under your watch pretends not seeing the dangers it poses.

My Prayers/Suggestions

I’m using this medium to appeal to Your Excellency, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, to as a matter of urgency, put an immediate stop to this unhealthy and undemocratic abuse of resources, and channel them into skill acquisition programmes for the benefit of jobless youths from the affected areas.

In line with above submission, I urge Your Excellency to consider using the said monthly funds to erect skill acquisition centres for the youths, where they can be trained on basis deemed fit by the government under your watch. And, I also urge you to consult widely before taking or continuing with decisions taken by past administrations.

I suggest that a Trust Fund be established for this purpose and monies saved therein to avoid the fracas brewing between the youths and their various leaders, whom we learnt are ever ready, willing and able to politic with the said funds upon its monthly arrival.

I urge Your Excellency to take decisions that will become landmark achievements, and could be left behind as part of your administration's legacies.

I appreciate Your Excellency, as Deltans await you to put this demonstration of madness to a constructive end.

•Comrade Chukwuemeke K Victor, MDP, is a Media Activist and a Human Right Evangelist. He can be reached via 08066436686, victoragenda@yahoo.com

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