The Bayelsa state government has declared its readiness to review and domesticate the present administration policy on youth development, employment generation and involvement in security matters including the newly introduced community policing in the state.
According to the state government, the new policy direction will focus on new partnership with stakeholders in the formal and informal sectors to ensure adherence to the Governor Douye Diri administration’s policy which bothers on prosperity, peace and security of lives and properties in the state.
The state commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali, who made this known during a meeting with former commissioners of sports and youth development in the state, said the new youths and sports policies respectively will be reviewed and sent to the State House of Assembly for legal backing by law.
Igali, who met with Former Youths Ministry Commissioners, Hon. Udengs Eradiri and Hon. Ebipasei Apaingolo and their former Sports Commissioner, Hon. Perekiye Buruboyefe, said the domestication of the Youths and Sports policies of the State will promote increased participation of youths in state development and eradicate issues of noticeable involvement of youths in crime and criminality.
He also announced that the Youths Ministry will be fully involved in the ongoing inauguration of community policing in the eight local government areas of the state and promised to engage in new partnership with the heads of security agencies in the state to stem tide of violent crime with full participation of youths.
He said though the misconception that most youths in Bayelsa are violent and are involved in violent crimes are wrong,” over 95 per cent of youths in the state engage in positive and productive ventures that is begging for support and sponsorship. But the delinquent youths would be prevailed upon to turn new leaf and join in the journey of the present administration for prosperity.”
On the poor standing of the state owned football team, Bayelsa United, on the Nigeria Premier league table, Hon. Daniel Igali assured sports enthusiast in the state of the Governor Douye Diri readiness to ensure that the team gets maximum state government support and gain promotion during the football season.
Speaking on behalf of the Former Commissioners for Youths and Sports, Engr. Udengs Eradiri commended the vision of the present administration in the state towards ensuring wide and accessible participation for the youths in the state.
He pointed out that the state owned craft development centers should be upgraded to allow indigent youths to access informal training and education, ”and issue of professional quacks in the informal sectors of the state should be looked into. Bayelsa should enforce that those without certificate and required training should not be allow to operate in the state.”
