PYC 2024 ELECTION: ELECTORAL COMMITTEE RECEIVES ENCOMIUMS.
It was a critical stakeholders engagements with the Aspirants contesting for the various positions at the Forthcoming Election into the Plateau State Youth Council.
Azi Nyako Youth Center,Dadin kowa during the weekend was busy with series of events mapped out for the smooth, peaceful and seamless conduct of the Election from Districts,Local Governments as well as state positions of the Council.
One of these series of engagements that attracted Youths,Veterans and the Government officials is a symposium that brought the stakeholders together to brainstorm on the way forward before during and after the election.
Welcoming the participants at the event,the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Dr. Philip Nyango said the Electoral Committee are determined and working round the clock to discharge their duty by bequeathing an Election circle that is very credible, transparent and devoid of rancour.
The Chairman further appreciates the commitments of the Aspirants and Veterans in all the activities of the Electoral Committee.
The essence of the symposium is for acquisition of knowledge and bequeath some experiences by the past PYC leaders,he appreciate their labor and sacrifices for serving the Youth Council, Meritoriously.
In his elaborate presentation, a Revered veteran,Pastor Ezekiel Foron,gave the historical perspectives on the evolution of PYC up to the present.
According to him,the Youth Council metamorphosed from a congregation of Ethnic organizations on the Plateau in the midst 1980s,as we were told, before then that the Youth Council existed in some forms because the Youth Council, nationwide is a product of an Act of the parliament that was passed in 1964 in order to create a platform for the youth of Nigeria to ventilate their concerns about the activities that surround Governance,during the first Republic and the then national Youth Council was the first product of that Act of Parliament.
In the Northern part of the Country, Oligarchy was in practice and the youth body could not blossom and they were not given enough leverage to express themselves unlike in the Southern part that blossomed ,until during the defund Benue/Plateau state,the Youth body began to rear it’s head and then eventually nosedived but later in the midst 1980s, the Youth Council became a child of necessity in Plateau state and because of the very obvious orchestrations of the issues of the Youths of Plateau state that were in civil service and the academia in those days it was obvious that Youths were oppressed and there were sentiments both religious sentiments and divisive prejudices that were inflicted on our people in order to emasculate Plateau state in the 1980s. These were orchestrated by the Northern Oligarchy to emasculate our people and force them to fall in line with the system of leadership that was being perpetrated across the North by the Northern Oligarchy. So the tribal youth movements,that is the Berom, Mwagavul,Gomai,Egg on,Mada,Ngas,Gbagi,Taroh among other Youth Groups were the first youth movements that started the youth Council and were referred to 11 Youth Ethnic Nationalities.
They started their meetings noctunally in the evenings and the wee hours of the day to discuss concerns that affects People of Plateau state at the political space and at that time and the indigenous tribes noticed that most of the military administrators that were posted to Plateau state, regardless of religious afflictions,were actually posted to do the biddings of the overloads from the North which were actually their products,so our people felt oppressed.
Then Youth Council then Eventually emerged and it was not called the National Youth Council of Nigeria,but Plateau state Youth Council. According to him,the nomenclature of the leader then was the President and the issue of chairman today became imperative because the Youths on the Plateau as it is ,is now the affiliate of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and they recognized PYC due to our perculirities and the early leaders in their wisdom, decided to domesticate it and called it plateeau state Youth Council to protect the interests of the indigenous Youths otherwise,every state domesticated National Youth Council of Nigeria.
Before the emergence of the PYC,larger house that we have today,was actually the beginning of the Plateau State Youth Council,they were holding those nocturnal meetings to avoid conflicts with the government and security officials.
We were still together with Nasarawa state and they were called lower Plateau and we were here called upper Plateau.
When Senatorial Districts were created, they were five before later reduced to three. The present Nasarawa state was known as West and the current Plateau southern Senatorial District excluding Mangu and Bokkos was Plateau East. Mangu and Bokkos,were part of Plateau Northern Senatorial District.
Foron butreses the fraternity of the Youth Council as a congregation of positive Youths of Plateau state, who have visions and experiences from the various fields came together and protects the Plateau interest.
The term, “Plateau Project” was coined in Larger house of the Youth Council and the larger house was far from what we see today, larger house has now become a glorified congress of the PYC.
According to him,Young people have no business being at the larger house,that during their days,Youth Council used to have their own congresses where they will look at issues that are constitutional,while larger house was actually a non formal body rather playing advisory roles, serving as a sort of compass to guide the Youth Council in order to have focus and not to be distracted on the issues that concerned the growth,unity,progress and cohesion of Plateau people to protect what is now popularized as the Plateau Project.
The veteran, decried the politicization of the PYC ,said according to our days,it was not tribalistic though, it started from tribal associations.
The first leader of the Council emerged from the Mwagavul Youth Movement.
PYC is a body that can speak truth to the power and is not an appendage of government,it suppose to be a voice to the voiceless,look at power on the face say no when things are not going right. They can also encourage government when they are doing well and they are partners in progress.
There was goodwill messages from the representatives of the Ministry of Youth and sports development through Her representative,Mr. Abednego Gokir.
Ministry of Justice through Barr. Akila Kasham who assured the Youths of the Attorney General’s commitment and the entire ministry of Justice for a peaceful election.
Said the essence of the gathering is to interface and share knowledge.
He eulogises Plateau Youths for excelling in various fields of human endeavors.
He particularly said they have broken records like General Yakubu Gowon, who became the Youngest Military Head of state at the age of 32 years,rose to the rank of full fledge General and served as the longest military head of state.
Late J.D Gomwalk,the former military Governor of Benue/ Plateau state,made the best WAEC Result in the entire West African region.
Barr. Kasham also said another worthy Plateau son was late Bukar Suka Dimka, who was the pioneer Commander of the Nigerian Army Corp
He then charges the Youths to stand firm,work hard, they will achieve a lot.
Also delivering his keynote address, Pharmacist Kim Jerry Bot. Executive secretary of the Plateau State drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency. Salute the peaceful conduct of the Youths and encourage them to sustain the tempo.
He said that his Agency is into local manufacturing of drugs for the first time in the history of Plateau state,we unveil five products in the name of the Agency. One of them is the cough syrup which is fantastic,the first dose alone can clear your normal dry cough.
Barr. J.K Chris,who was the PYC Chairman in Jos North and currently the PDP Championship Candidate at the Forthcoming Local Governments Election,also urge the Youths to always remain resolute and united.
The event climax with the questions and answers session.
