PROF. UZORMA FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE & EQUITY 4TH EDITION OF HER LECTURE SERIES AND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
THEME: YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND NATION BUILING. AT THE JULIE LOUNGE EVENT CENTRE OPPOSITE CONCORD HOTEL OWERRI.
The mammoth crowd of who is who nationwide assembled to grace the epoch-making event.Hon. Dr. Chima Amadi, Hon. Uche Onyeagocha, Dr. Prince Eze Madumere, His Imperial Majesty the Royal Father of Imo Sate, Eze John Nwosu, The Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo Community Representatives among others.
Fielding question from the press during the event, Mr. Tony Icheku of ThisDay National Newspaper put up these questions to the University Don, the convener of the event Prof. Protus Nathan Uzoma.
Under this Youth Development Program you are running, how do we get to formulate the National agenda for our youths of this country because the whole policy has left the youths behind? In his response the amiable Professor stated,
“Any way the whole truth of the matter is this, for us to have sustainable framework that will bring a total transformation within the framework of our youths, one of the major steps to be taken is for Government to reorganize their system to make sure that they give good attention to Nigerian Youths, because if you do a thorough research you discover that many Nigerian Youths are languishing in jails as a result of minor offenses but then the law must take its course.
Like my friend stated that we have been treating symptoms, how do we make sure that these are not symptoms treatment only and we focus on the major things? I think that the first step is we have to; the Government has to define the agenda they have for the youths.
What programme do they have for the youths, absolutely I must tell you that the Nigerian Federal Government may have no agenda for the youths. And because of this, crime is on the increase and because of these the youths appears to have loss directions. And because they have loss directions you see them going into crimes and criminality so this has taken a very long time.
But I think that the Government should use their inner collective ideology to profound a very sound suitable policies that can advance the course of youths empowerment, employment & youths concentration, they should concentrate on the youths, because we have so many of them roaming about without work, we have so many of them that are graduates also that you know, that have no place, nothing to lay hands on.
The reason is because there is a major problem in this country, our youths are suffering, they are! Some of our politicians prefer to use them as touts, as thugs as you know as whatever, during elections is when they are remembered you know. But you know, you can empower the youths in so many ways.
The ministry of youths and sports appeared to have emerged but little or nothing has been felt about that angle. So, I want to use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to critically look into the affairs of our youths and make sure good attention is given to them, proper attention is given to them, to fail here is to fail in all compacts of the truth thank you.”
To summarize, on your birthday celebration, today is your birthday; The Prof. reacted swiftly aah-aah you don’t want to talk about my birthday! Question:- Today is your day and you are celebrating your day and you are empowering some youths, what is the special, what something unique are you doing about today Sir? Response:-
“Well you know my birthday has been used to empower youths, my birthday has been use to do one or two but God that has kept me alive today has a purpose, I know very well that God Almighty who kept me alive will still keep me alive to do more for Nigerian Youths because I am majorly concerned about Nigerian Youths, that is my mission I am telling you, even when I become e-e-e-h what do you call it again, if I aspire to any political position, I am going to make sure that the youths are properly taken care of, its my constituency.In further developments, Prof. Uzorma the Prof. with a golden mindset, unveiled further his contribution to the youths developments foundation and national building; he stated that there is what we call intellectual empowerment, empowerment is not only putting hands in your pocket and be giving youths.
Let me tell you there are good members of youths we have trained in different skill works, good number of them. What we want to do is to create an organization that will help to make sure that good spirited individuals will make their contributions towards emancipating our youths from this, what I called Social economic bold rum the yahoo-yahoo business that has ravaged the culture of our people, some of our youths today are lost, some of our youths today do not have, they are not interested learning work, they are not interested in acquiring skills.
We are saying it is not our culture, we are saying it is not part of the society because the society is dynamic. And let me tell you if you don’t acquire skill this time, in the next ten, two, five, six, seven years the person will end up not having anything to do because I don’t see this economy getting better I don’t see it, but I believe Nigeria will be good oooo. But I wonder if it would be good within this period. He then rapped it off with a gentle laughter.”
The highlights of the event are; 5 Million Naira cheque donation to the foundation and empowerment of 1000 Youths across the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State, where the Uzorma Youth Empowerment Foundation have their branches with their general coordinator, Engr. Kingsley Ekwelem, who highlighted some of the benefits of the foundation to include; helping to register those who are writing there O-Level exams/final exams to register, helping the school dropouts to finish up, helping to meet bailout requirement for some youths in jail, various skills acquisition for youths etc.