Kunle ADELABU
-To create skill centres, engage youths across the division
Youths in Ikorodu Division , under the aegis of Ikorodu Division Youth Initiative Movement (IDYIM) , is set to gather its members across the six councils in Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, for the purpose of finding ways to address challenges confronting them and also to discuss ways of contributing towards societal developments.
This year’s edition of the summit, which has been scheduled to hold at the Ikorodu Town hall on October 1, 2019, is themed, “Youth: Catalyst of positive influence in community development”.
At the press conference held at the Ikorodu Town hall, the movement called for supports from every youth in the division and other public-spirited individuals and organizations towards a successful outing.
Dr. Abiodun Fatai Abatan, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the movement , while addressing the media in his first official assignment after his inauguration along other officers of the movement, stated that it is historic for the youths in the division to come together and chart a common front for their advancement and development of their community.
“This is the first time in the history of Ikorodu Division that we will have clearheaded young people coming together to chart the way forward and you will recall that this group actually transmitted from online platform to a more physical one to see ourselves and interact and engage on issues affecting us as a community.
“On the basis of that, you would realize that enormous challenges are confronting not only Nigeria as a whole but more importantly, Ikorodu as a division. That’s why we , as young people who really understand the challenges in the society , decided to come together to deal with some of them.
“Youths are very strategic in any society and coming together is one of the ways of understanding the imperfection in our society and I want to believe that this movement is going to achieve a lot if we can confront the imperfection together”.
He stated that the board has identified three key areas in advancing the course of the movement and assured that this would assist the movement to achieve its aims and objectives.
“The board of trustees that was just inaugurated has identified three fundamental issues – youth summit, media collaboration as well as supports and establishment of vocation centres across the division.
“You will recall that last year, we had the first edition of the Ikorodu Division Youth Summit with the theme, ‘Youth inclusiveness in community developments and governance”. At the end of the summit, we were able to identify the challenges militating against youth inclusiveness in governance and community and also proffered ways forward” , he recalled.
Stating the importance of the summit in achieving the core objectives of the movement , Dr Abatan stated:
“This summit is very important for the youths because it serves as a medium where we bring ourselves together to engage on issues as well as interact and interface on certain agendas on what our roles should be in the society, what our responsibilities should be in our society and how do we should go about them and the methodologies and modalities for participating in governance and community developments.
“Ikorodu itself is a globalised community with a large number of people, intellectuals, youths , resource persons and there are challenges here and there. In the face of this, we are to engage on how , as youths, we can be relevant and be catalyst of developments in that community.
“A community that is developed is a community that has youths as the core of its developmental process and fulcrum of its progressive and meaningful movements.
“It is a responsibility on us and behooves on us to use this mandate to fulfill our objectives as platform. We have a mission here which is to be fulfilled. On this basis, I want to appeal to those of us on the board of trustees to key into the values of the movement”.
He charged youths in the division to ensure that they participate in the summit and support it financially.
“As youths in the division, we all need to participate in this year’s edition of the summit and we need lots of money to executive it. It is thus a responsibility on all of us to ensure that we play our roles and we must remember that there is prosperity to vindicate or vilify us.
“This is an historical moment in the history of Ikorodu. When the glorious history of Ikorodu is going to be drawn , all of us are going to be part of it. The recognition will not be because you are from Ikorodu but because of your roles in the development process.
“For this year’s summit, let us ensure that we rally round our executives in achieving their targets by giving them our supports.
“The last year’s summit was very interesting and we really achieve its essence and objectives. We really engaged ourselves and came up with resolutions. Lets us have a repeat of that this year and make it worthwhile.
“We are not leaving out anybody because we are going to give each and everyone of us responsibilities which must be realized within the context of development of Ikorodu.
He appealed to the media, especially community news medium in Ikorodu , to help in positively propagating the movement and change the narrative about the division.
“Secondly, we expect the media to showcase our programmes and activities but they are not doing enough. All of us are part of Ikorodu whether or not you are born here. You are affected by the dynamics and the workings in Ikorodu. We need you more to showcase the image of Ikorodu” , he appealed.
“There are lots of negative comments which we need you to help us with. We need you to help us put some of these issues that have been presented wrongly into perspective. I want to believe that with media parley and collaboration , we can achieve our aims.
“We need the media to assist us in effectively disseminating communiqués from our summits and report our activities and engagements for us to be able to achieve our set objectives.
“There is need for us to internationalise our locals and we can only do that through our community media. We want you to be part of community development by deploying your pens,capacity and energy to the cause of the youths”.
The political science teacher , who stated that vocational centres in the division are not enough to cater for the needs of the youths interested in learning skills , stated that IDYIM has concluded plans to establish vocational centres in some parts of the division.
“We have also resolved to have vocational training centres across the division. Apart from the fact that we have education, we also understand the dynamics of using our certificates to work in Nigeria today. It is important that whether or not you are educated, we also need to have empowerment and build a kind of capacity to make us more independent.
“We are going to create vocational centres where those of us interested in learning skills can benefit from.
“We are going to have these vocational centres in different parts of Ikorodu and I want to believe if we are able to utilize those opportunities judiciously, it would bring out the best in our youths and also help us in driving forward the process of community development”.
Abatan also appealed to the Lagos State Government, Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area and other stakeholders in Ikorodu to either release the abandoned vocational centre in Ebute-Ipakodo or partner with the movement to resuscitate it for the use of the youths that are in need.
He also revealed that , as part of the movement’s agenda , they would embark on reorientation and sensitization programmes.
