A PRESS RELEASE BY RT. HON. BAMIKOLE OLADELE BABS, DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER OF AFRICAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT IN COMMEMORATION OF AFRICA YOUTH DAY ON WEDNESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2017 IN LAGOS STATE
I join the entire global community to congratulate young Africans on this year’s Africa Youth Day. A day, I have designated a sober reflective day because of the various calamities, such as, disease, bad leadership, corruption, misgovernance, poverty, etc. bedevilling the richest continent in terms natural and human resources in the world. Our continent has been unfortunate with governance and leadership as we have only bad selfish leaders suffering ‘Me, Myself and I syndrome’.
This year’s Africa Youth Day theme is apt and aligns with a future prospects for African Youths. “Harnessing the demographic dividends through investments in Youth” is an admittance of the fact that the potentials of African youths has been slaughtered on the altar of selfish waste by our gerontocratic political leaders. We have resolved at the parliament to follow up closely on the budgets of respective countries in Africa towards youth development.
We expect more funds to be devoted to Agriculture, Information Communication Technology, Entertainment, Education, Manufacturing etc. African governments must invest more funds into harnessing the dividends of Africa’s youth demography. Corruption must be stopped to be able to have enough funds for investment and the only reasonable way to end corruption is for African Leaders to be deliberately selfless and care for others.
It is important to state here that the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta must not relent on his efforts to make peace consistent in Kenya by ensuring there is a channel of dialogue between him and the opposition leader Raila Odinga over the post-election crisis. Kenyan youths should be more of peace advocates than fuelling the crisis.
We implore all African youth leaders to begin to mobilize against any government that do not take investments in youth development serious. Our only future is the quality of investments made to ensure we have a befitting future.
Thank you.
I remain your humane and strategic leader,
Rt. Hon. Amb. Bamikole Oladele Babs,
Distinguished Speaker
African Youth Parliament
aypsecretariat@yahoo.com
