From Jude Dangwam, Jos

Plateau State Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Hon. Victor Lapang, has charged youths in the state to rise up and become active players in the nation’s democracy in order to correct the mistakes of the elderly political players in the country.

He said youths are the drivers of democracy and must strive to overcome the challenges that are limiting their potentials from active participation in the country’s politics.

Lapang stated this at the 2021 annual Traditional Food Carnival of the Doemak Youth Development Association (DYDA), Jos chapter held at the Azi Nyako Youth Centre in Jos yesterday.

He said the democratic instability the country has witnessed over the years was caused by politicians, with youths also contributing a good percentage of the challenges.

“There has been democratic instability since the returned of democracy in 1999, and 25 percent of the instability in our democracy was caused by us (politicians), and 75 percentage has been caused by the youth. Why is that so? Is because the youths are the ones that drive the democracy.

“But the unfortunate thing we had is that we did not realize that the youths drive the process of democracy. And why are the youth lagging? Is because the youths are economically handicapped,” Lapang said.

He said he remained optimistic that Nigeria as a third world nation will overcome her woes just as other developed nations of the world whenever youths whom form large chunked of the country’s population rise up to the occasion.

Lapang said Nigeria is a work in progress and all hands must be on deck to better and defined its concept of governance and the nation’s democratic practice which he said is ‘slow but sure’.

He stressed that if the youths can do the things that the elderly ones could not do just as examplified by the Doemak Youth Development Association of Pan nation through consistent engagement for a better participation in leadership and governance the country will get to its rightful destination.

“For me, I see Nigeria as a work in progress; we did not create our own system of governance.

“The colonialists came and hoisted a system on us that was strange to us and we are working within that system.

“We are not there yet, but with the youths and the will power, if we can do what the elders could not do, we will be very much better,” he stated.

The Commissioner commended the Doemak Youth Development Association for organizing the cultural food carnival for 11 years consistently which showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Pan speaking natives to the world.

Lapang also applauded the youths for creating platforms for discussed over the years aimed at promoting unity of the people, the state and the entire country and charged other youths across the state to emulate the Doemak Youths.

Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Manji Kwarben said the economic, social and political instability in Nigeria are all man-made problems confronting the country which required human efforts especially young people in correcting them.

The Chairman of Jos chapter of the Doemak Youth Development Association, said the annual traditional food carnival create an avenue for both young and old to meet and discuss issues that will promote unity, national integration and chatting a way forward for the growth of the country.