Youth leaders and stakeholders drawn from the seventeen Local Government Areas and three Senatorial Districts of Enugu State have unanimously passed a vote of confidence on Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, reaffirming their support for his administration while applauding the appointment of Hon. Charles Nnaemeka Edeh as Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Development and Mobilization.
The endorsement came during the Enugu State Youth Stakeholders' Interactive Session, organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Development and Mobilization at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, State Secretariat, Enugu.
The well-attended forum brought together youth leaders, representatives of youth organisations, government officials, traditional rulers, development partners and other stakeholders from across the state to deliberate on youth development, entrepreneurship, agriculture, innovation, sports, governance and strategies for strengthening collaboration between government and young people.
The event commenced with an opening prayer led by the Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State, Mr. Ani Samuel Chekwube, while the traditional breaking of the kola nut was performed by the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State, High Chief Uche Obosi (Agbalanze).
In his welcome address, Hon. Charles Nnaemeka Edeh expressed profound appreciation to Governor Mbah for entrusting him with the responsibility of driving youth development and mobilisation, describing the appointment as a clear demonstration of the Governor's confidence in the ability of young people to contribute meaningfully to governance and the state's development.
He explained that the interactive session was conceived as a platform for stakeholder engagement, needs assessment and policy dialogue aimed at identifying the aspirations, challenges and expectations of youths across Enugu State.
According to him, the initiative reflects Governor Mbah's commitment to participatory governance by creating opportunities for government and young people to jointly develop practical and sustainable solutions to issues affecting the youth population.
Hon. Edeh pledged to sustain regular engagement with youth stakeholders while ensuring that their ideas and recommendations continue to shape government policies and programmes.
Delivering his keynote address, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Lloyd Ikechukwu Ekweremadu, JM, highlighted the Mbah administration's remarkable achievements in youth development and economic transformation.
He listed several flagship projects of the administration, including Enugu Air, Smart Green Schools, Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres, the International Palm Produce Project, the Niger Gas initiative and investment-friendly reforms that have continued to attract both local and international investors to Enugu State.
The Commissioner disclosed that more than 700 youths had benefited from agricultural training programmes implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
He further revealed that, through a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the Ministry established a Creative Academy at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), where young people are being equipped with skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI), animation, gaming, digital content creation and other emerging technologies required in today's digital economy.
Ekweremadu also disclosed that under the Tomorrow Is Here Initiative, vocational training programmes were successfully conducted across the seventeen Local Government Areas, leading to the training of approximately 2,100 youths, while 1,020 outstanding beneficiaries received start-up support to establish sustainable businesses after performance-based assessments.
Also speaking, the Liaison Officer of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), Hon. Edeani M. Edeani, urged youths across the state to take advantage of intervention programmes available through the Commission, particularly in agriculture, enterprise development and community empowerment.
He stressed that sustainable development can only be achieved through institutional collaboration, strategic partnerships and the active participation of young people in government initiatives.
In his goodwill message, the Igwe-Elect of Mburubu and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of First Choice Afro Villa Ltd. and Mburubu Construction Company, Engr. Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, commended Governor Mbah for creating an enabling business environment that has encouraged indigenous investors to commit resources to the development of Enugu State.
He announced a ₦10 million sponsorship for a statewide youth football competition aimed at discovering and nurturing sporting talents while promoting youth development. He also disclosed that his company became the first indigenous firm to partner with the Smart Green Schools initiative.
Similarly, Okoh Emmanuel Onyeka (Okwuluora Ndi Igbo) praised the rapid infrastructural transformation and economic reforms being implemented by the Mbah administration, urging young people to remain united and continue supporting programmes that promote sustainable development and shared prosperity.
Following extensive deliberations, participants unanimously adopted a comprehensive strategic roadmap designed to deepen youth empowerment and inclusive development across Enugu State.
The roadmap focuses on expanding youth engagement platforms, promoting cooperative and cluster farming, institutionalising periodic youth stakeholders' interactive sessions, strengthening collaboration among the Executive, National Assembly and Enugu State House of Assembly, increasing youth appointments into government, enhancing grassroots mobilisation, creating a more favourable environment for private-sector investment and job creation, revitalising female football, improving access to affordable housing, strengthening youth agricultural associations, accelerating infrastructure development in underserved communities and pursuing institutional reforms that will strengthen youth development administration.
The high point of the meeting was the unanimous adoption of a vote of confidence on Governor Peter Mbah, with participants applauding his visionary leadership, commitment to youth inclusion, infrastructure renewal, economic transformation and people-centred governance.
The motion was moved by Amb. Nwamazioshi Joseph Daniel, Special Senior Assistant on Media and Communication to the Executive Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, and seconded by the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Enugu State Chapter, Comrade Bartholomew Ebuka Okoh.
The stakeholders also commended Governor Mbah for appointing Hon. Charles Nnaemeka Edeh as Special Assistant on Youth Development and Mobilization, describing the appointment as a bold demonstration of the administration's commitment to youth inclusion and participatory governance.
They reaffirmed their readiness to partner with the Enugu State Government in implementing the resolutions reached at the meeting and advancing Governor Mbah's Tomorrow Is Here agenda through innovation, entrepreneurship, inclusive governance and sustainable youth development.
Participants described the interactive session as a landmark engagement that has further strengthened the relationship between the government and the youth constituency, expressing optimism that the resolutions adopted would translate into impactful policies and programmes capable of expanding opportunities for young people and accelerating the socio-economic development of Enugu State.
