Stakeholders in youths’ affairs have called on Nigeria youths to participate actively in politics and community development in order to impact the change they are yearning for.

The stakeholders said this in a one-day Youths Consultative Forum to commemorate the International Youths Day, with the theme: “Safe Spaces for Youths Development”, held in Enugu on Monday.

They noted that it was high time youths stop staying on the sidelines complaining of lack of inclusiveness when they can make great impact on how their dream future can be.

The Executive Director of South-Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO), Mrs Nkechi Igwe, challenged the youths to rise and stop sitting at home and feeling carefree when they can collectively make a difference.

Igwe urged youths to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) to participate actively in politics at their village and community even to the national level; while ensuring that they engage themselves in voluntary community services work to contribute their quota to development.

“The present generation of young Nigerians must think outside the box to find a way of solving the myriad of challenges facing the country, which will live with them as the future of the country.

“Youths must create the safe space they want to see and make Nigeria a much better place for themselves and their own unborn children,” she said.

The Advocate of The New Enugu Project (TNEP), Mr Ekene Uzodinma, urged youths to take up the challenge of changing the status quo of old men and women still remaining in leadership positions in the country.

Uzodinma, who is the Managing Director of Ex-integrated Agro Allied Industries, said that the youths cannot afford to leave older men to fashion out a road map of practical development for them, adding: “It means we are idle with our brains”.

According to him, youths must learn to take responsibility and stop the current blame game over woos of the country.

“Youths should strive to create platforms where they and political aspirants or leaders would sit down and develop a manifesto that is germane and reflects the true need of the people especially taking care of today as well as the future of the country.

“We must give merit a chance in all our elective posts as well as when selecting people to positions or tasks that will impact on people’s lives,” he said.

The Convener of the forum, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, noted that this year’s international youth day calls to mind the need for youths to re-introspect to know how much they are contributing to positively shape their future.

Okenwa, who is the founder of #YouthDecide2019, noted that the youths remained the only hope of moving this nation forward.

“Youths should think critically on how to move the country forward and get involved in all aspects of the development. I mean we should stop sleeping and sitting on the fence.

“We, the youths, must work hard and change the value system for Nigerians to see corruption as something abnormal and cancerous in nature,” he said.

The forum featured lectures on “Importance of Data” and “Use of Internet to Build Social Network”.

Over 100 youths from various backgrounds and groups attended the interactive forum.

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