Members of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) are concerned about the rising insecurity in the country, describing the situation as disturbing.
Addressing the media Thursday in Abuja, at NYCN office, Federal Secretariat, Abuja, NYCN Deputy Secretary,
Comrade Rikki Nwajiofor, said the apex youth body, under the leadership of its President, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, is saddened by the daily kidnappings and gunmen attacks in most parts of the country, a situation that calls for urgent action to ensure the release of all those held in kidnappers’ dens in various parts of the country.
He said: “NYCN observed that the alarming situation is an agonizing confirmation of the urgent need to rejig the security intelligence, command, operation, and coordination structure to stem the carnage.
“The Council, however, appreciates and commends the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his patriotism, courage, and determination in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, and other social vices plaguing our country despite daunting challenges.
“NYCN expresses confidence in Nigeria’s security high command to tackle the insecurity problem and charges President Tinubu to do more by urgently addressing the economic challenges. The Council observed that economic woes have further compounded the insecurity problem.
“As President Tinubu continues to empower the security agencies with the needed resources, we charge him to speed up the implementation of his economic policy and review where necessary to ease Nigerians’ hardship. When people can move around easily at an affordable price, when citizens can afford basic commodities, with employment opportunities and basic infrastructure, the insecurity will reduce to the nearest minimum.
“The umbrella body of Youth Organizations calls on Nigerians to be alert and continue to support President Tinubu and our security agencies in their efforts to safeguard the nation at this very critical time.”
He added: “Meanwhile, it was brought to our notice that some aggrieved members of NYCN, on the 29th of January 2024, in a failed coup d’état, sought to create division in NYCN. The NEC is aware that this atrocity was perpetrated with the support of some aggrieved stakeholders, a senior civil servant in a government agency, and a newly inaugurated state governor.
“To set the records straight, NYCN NEC has not suspended its President, Sukubo, nor has it suspended the Deputy President – Amb. Innocent Nduanya, Secretary General, Abubakar Suleiman Esq., and the Treasurer – Comrade Nnamdi Ezemagu. The above-mentioned members of the National Executive Council (NEC) of NYCN are still bona fide members of the NEC.
“Amb. Sukubo remains the only President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria; any other self-acclaimed President, whether in an acting capacity or not, is a desperate impostor and should be treated as such and disregarded.
“It is also very pertinent that we publicly refute and debunk some unconstitutional assertions made by the aggrieved members of the NEC of NYCN, circulated in some media houses on the 29th of January 2024. Thus, we hereby state:
“The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) operates under the NYCN 2018 Constitution, as amended. This Constitution is the highest authority guiding the NYCN. It’s worth mentioning that this Constitution, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Ministry of Youth, served as the legal instrument that brought the current NEC into power. The 2018 NYCN Constitution, as amended, is set to be reviewed and amended in March 2024, following a motion moved and adopted during the last National Management Meeting held in Port Harcourt in November 2023. Therefore, the drafting and ratification of the 2018 NYCN Constitution, as amended, followed the due process.
“The President of NYCN has the mandate to nominate any member of the NEC to represent him in any event or meeting where he is duly invited to attend, if he is unavoidably unavailable to attend such an event or meeting, in any State of the federation or at the Federal Capital Territory.
“The constitution of NYCN did not stipulate in any section that the President should inform the Vice Presidents of the zones whenever he intends to send letters to any agency or government at any level in Nigeria, as long as it is in the interest of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and the Nigerian Youth Constituency at large.
“That the President and the Treasurer of NYCN have never been found wanting in any financial dealing and no fund was given to the NYCN during the last general elections, by any political party, as NYCN remains non-partisan and apolitical. It is highly unconstitutional for NYCN, at any level, to be partisan. Suffice it to say that, there was no such amount of #369,000,000 (three hundred and sixty nine million naira) given to the President for the National Youth Council of Nigeria, during the last general elections.
“That the selection of the persons listed in the CAC Certificate of registration of NYCN, as the members of the Board of Trustees followed the stipulations of the Article … of the NYCN 2018 Constitution, as amended. And the last National Management Meeting, held in Port Harcourt in November 2023, gave the NEC the mandate to add more names, representing various Zones, as members of the Board of Trustees on or before the month of April 2024. The process is currently ongoing.
“Prior to this, the South East’s purported suspension of some members was discussed on the NEC WhatsApp platform, where most members concluded that it would not stand. Consequently, the matter was listed as part of the agenda for our next meeting. Therefore, NEC is not aware of the suspension of anybody in the zone, and anything done without the approval of NEC remains NULL and VOID.
“As the next meeting of the NEC has been scheduled, since a week ago, to hold in Kaduna State on the 3rd of February, 2024 to resolve some lingering issues, especially in the South East, NEC charges aggrieved members to exhaust the association internal conflict resolution mechanism and avoid taking law into their hands. NEC warn that it will not fail defend the NYCN Constitution and shall use every lawful means to achieve its set target.
“NEC also confirmed that the purported suspension of the President of NYCN and the 3 other members of NEC did not follow any constitutional provisions and as such is NULL AND VOID. The constitution of the NYCN has stipulations on the procedures to be adhered to, if a member of the National Executive Council of NYCN is to be suspended. None of these stipulations, as enshrined in the articles …of the NYCN 2018 constitution, as amended, was adhered to. Ipso facto, the purported suspension is a hoax, unconstitutional cum NULL AND VOID.
“This current NEC was sworn in on 21st September 2021, in Calabar, with a mandate of 4 years. This is to say, the tenure of this present NEC will wrap up in September 2025 and an elective congress will be duly conducted to usher in a new leadership devoid of any faction. This current NEC is determined to end the factionalization of the apex Youth body in Nigeria – the NYCN, sponsored by some unpatriotic politicians to keep the Nigerian Youth divided and devoid of any strong voice.
“In the light of the above, NYCN NEC under the leadership of Amb. Sukubo appeals to all the government agencies, security agencies, governments at all level, private institutions, voluntary Youth organizations, state chapters and the general public to disregard the fallacious press release made by the aggrieved members of the NEC and assertions there-in. Let there be no tensions in any quarters in the Nigerian Youth Constituency as the situation is under control; there is no cause for alarm.”
