By Caleb Ayansina

ABUJA – The Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has disclosed the Ministry’s withdrawal of recognition for the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). The government’s decision, according to the minister might not be unconnected to the leadership crisis currently rocking the council.

NYCN, affiliated to the ministry, is an umbrella body of all youth groups in the country, affiliated to the ministry to championing the aspirations and dreams of all Nigerian youth to reality. Consequently, the minister ordered that a new registration that will strictly be in line with the National Youth Policy be put in place, affirming that the age bracket of 18-35 years would be strictly enforced for all eligible members.

Dalung gave the directive while addressing a delegation consisting of Board of Trustees of NYCN, some past Presidents and Representatives of the members of Management Committee of the Council who called to pay him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
The Minister explained that the directive had become imperative in order to restore sanity into the National Youth Council of Nigeria which has been fragmented for some time now; a development that has resulted in six people laying claims to the leadership of the Council.
He expressed concern at the way and manner the ideals and virtues which used to endear the organisation to the public had been eroded; giving way to blatant pursuit of personal interest and unabashed materialism by the present day self-acclaimed leaders of council at the expense of Nigeria Youth. Dalung assured that the Board of Trustee which he described as the custodian of the Council would play a big role in the new reform meant to restore the Council back to its former glory.
The Minister promised that to return to the ministry all interventionist programmes targeted at the development of youth whether in the area of Agriculture, Health, Micro-Finance, Job Empowerment etc. for effective coordination and mainstreaming, adding that the present practise where such programmes scattered in different ministries had not yielded the desired result.

Earlier, the leader of the Delegation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NYCN Chief Macaulay Azugbene lamented the situation whereby “the Council has had to contend with leadership crisis which has resulted in its inability to effectively play its role and ensure that the Youths benefit from the dividend of democracy.”

He said the council was infiltrated by selfish, shameless and materialistic characters “who are ready to throw virtues to the dogs once there is monetary benefit to derive”. “We have had some persons declaring themselves presidents of their imagined councils without submitting themselves to due process of election at a duly organised National Youth Congress,” he said.

According to him, part of the problems in the Council is traceable to the advent of “brief case voluntary youth organisations which parades Certificate of Registration from the Corporate Affairs Commission without members.”
Chief Azugbene appealed to the Federal government for resuscitation of the statutory subventions to Voluntary Youth Organisations – VYOs to enable them resume proper tanning of youth through capacity building and leadership orientation.