Ending ASUU Strike: Youth Council Resolves To Partner NANS Others, Seeks 40% Political Appointments

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By; OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti

Worried by the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the country,the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has expressed readiness to engage its national body to partner other critical stakeholders including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to end the prevailing strike.

The newly elected Chairman of the NYCN, Ekiti State, Com. Oluwasegun Bankole, stated this in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Thursday, during his inaugural press briefing after  emergence.

The newly NYCN State Chairman however advocated for 40% of political appointments to be ceded to youth from the incoming administration of Hon. Biodun Oyebanji, commencing on October 16, 2022.

At the election supervised by Security Agencies, Ekiti State Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Bankole polled a total of 109 votes to defeat  his closest rival, Segun Famuyibo, who garnered 14.

Addressing newsmen on the NYCN’s expectations from the incoming goverment, Bankole said: “The NYCN is ready to  key into Biodun Oyebanji’s policy thrust, because we have studied it and found that he makes youth empowerment a priority on his list.

“But regarding youth involvement in governance, we are not expecting anything less than 40%  of political appointments from his government as part of the ways to empower and accord us recognition in government”.

On the strike embarked on by ASUU and the negative effects on youth, Bankole added: “We are going to call the attentions of our stakeholders to the reason why this strike should end now.

“Reports we are getting showed that  many of our female students have been impregnated, while the male counterparts are into criminalities, because they were not occupied and productive in the six months duration of this industrial action” he said.

The chairman assured that he is coming on board to rebrand Ekiti youth and change the narratives through effective collaboration with local and international organisations to better the lots of Ekiti youth.

While the outgoing National President of NANS, Sunday Asefon, who doubles as the Publicity Secretary of the NYCN in the immediate past administration, warned against factionalisation of the body, saying this would not be in the interest of the youth.

Asefon lauded Governor Kayode Fayemi for presenting a parcel of land and the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to NYCN to build a State Secretariat for the youth body.

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