The Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA) Dr Garba Abari, has called on Nigerian youths to support the fight against corruption in the country.
He has also urged them to reject leaders who want to manipulate them against constituted authority.
Abari gave the advice in his remarks at the one-day campaign on youth participation in national development, tagged, “National Youth Summit 2021” in Uyo on Thursday.
The director general, who was represented by the State Director of NOA, Mr Enoh Uyoh, appealed to the youth to rise up in unison to protect the unity of Nigeria.
Abari emphasised that an immoral and corrupt society filled with impunity, social injustices and absence of equity and rule of law was a threat to the progress of the nation.
Abari told the youth that poverty, ignorance, diseases and dearth of infrastructure being experienced in the country today does not recognise ethnic, religious or regional differences.
“I wish to use this opportunity to advise the youths to resist being used by selfish leaders to further their political ambitions.
“These they do by manipulating our people using ethnicity, religion and sectional differences which has brought a lot of harm to our nation.
“Their actions have weakened the unity of our people and turn their attention away from pursing national economic development and political progress.
“They have employed religion and ethnicity to get away with bad leadership and corruption that are prevalent in the country.” The DG said.
In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Ini Ememobong, appealed to government to create an enabling environment to allow youth contribute their quota towards the development of the country.
Ememobong, who was represented by Mrs Grace Akpan, Director in the ministry said that youth played a great role in nation building as they have the power to help a country develop and move towards progress.
“The youth are capable of bringing social reform and improvement to the society if their energy are harnessed and utilized.
“No country can exist and grow without youth the component. It is evidently clear that, the nation requires youth participation to grow and progress in attaining its lofty goals,” Ememobong said.
Earlier in a remark, Dr Dorothy Thompson, Chairman Ethical and Attitudinal Reorientation Agency, urged the youth to embrace value reorietation to enhance the development of the country.
Thompson charged the youths to stay away from all negative vices that could bring bad report to the country adding that youths were important decimal in the development of the society.
In a goodwill message, the Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme, said that there was linkage between youths and national development.
Amiengheme, who was represented by the Divisional Police Officer, DSP Ekpeni Ajah, said the wheel of development of any nation to a large extent depended on productive and creative the youths population were.
