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| Dr Betta Edu addressing the audience on Thursday at Transcorp Hotels |
Charles Ekanem|2 December 2017
As youth across the country look forward to the implementation of NotTooYoungToRun bill, Nigerian youths now have the chance to change the narrative of our political sphere but are they going to be able to do so with the deeply entrenched structures we already have in place? These were fact raised at the Cross River State Young Emerging Political Leaders Forum organised by peter Mac Donald held Thursday, 29th November, 2017 at Transcorp Hotels Calabar where Dr Betta Edu in company with a panel brainstormed on How do emerging leaders build a political structure?
How do the youths sustain such structure for a long term? Issues of financing, the role of women in politics, breaking the cycle of godfatherism, the use of social media and grassroots mobilisation were all laid bare for teeming Nigerian youths who were at the event to seek ideas on how to take advantage of this new opportunity.
Presenting her keynote address, DG Cross River State Primary Healthcare Agency, Dr Betta Edu said if women want power you have to work for it because power is not given but taken whether you are a man or a woman.
She said what is important is delivering solutions to the society problems. If You bring solutions, you take the lead. Do something differently and proffer solutions to your people in Village, LGA, State and Country. Women arise!
Dr Edu said if women can think beyond beauty and sympathy and start doing things differently by building their capacity there will be a lot of changes in the political circle of the country.
She ended with the following resolution that if young people come together and support a young aspiring person they can achieve not too young to run. We have the numbers we have the energy don’t sell your votes!
Finally she challenge men to support women in their aspirations to build a better society for all.
Other Keynote speakers at the event were the State INEC REC, Commissioner for youth and Sport Bayelsa State, Representative of the Speaker Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr Ubong Linus, Former Lagos State Children Parliament Speaker, Mr Dayo Isreal, Social Critic and Political Analyst, Rev Olu Martins, Asandia Hogan amongst many others.
Charles Ekanem
Writes from Calabar
