Cross sections of youths in the country have called for more platforms to enable them air their views and participate in the democratic process.

This was contained in a communiqué of the South-East Youth Decide 2019 symposium, popularly known as “#Youthdecide2019”, issued in Enugu on Wednesday.

The communiqué was signed by the convener of #Youthdecide2019, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, and a panelist in the symposium, Miss Julia Nwosu.

The communiqué also called on consistent re-orientation and enlightenment campaigns for citizens especially the youths, which would help to improve the nation’s value system.

The statement said there was a need for change in the political structure of the nation to favour youth leadership.

It noted that the youths are the chief pilot of every successful governments in the world, however in the case of Nigerian youths much apathy to governance and electoral process is been observed.

“There has never been a more suitable time for Nigerian youths to be more informed, guided and engaged in the political space and process of our country rather than now.

“Based on this, #Youthdecide2019 is a platform created to build up the youths by provoking their thoughts to the realities of the power they wield currently in a latent state.

“Provoking them to actions that will lead to result that will be to the good and benefit of every Nigerian citizen as the 2019 elections draws nearer,” it said.

The statement, however, called on youths to get specific commitments from political aspirants rather than “an open-ended promises”.

“Nigerian youths must arise and know how to fix meetings with government officials in order to relate their community or societal demands strategically to them and follow it to the logical conclusion of the execution of such people-oriented demands,” it said.

It would be recalled that the symposium was attended by over 2,000 youths, which included professionals, artisans and students from the South-East. It was held at University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC).

The symposium would hold in Port Harcourt in April for youths in South-South region after which it would move to other zones of the country.

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