By Millicent Umoro-O
July 23, 2020
NYCC-19 puts structure in states for better results
The Nigerian Youth Compact on COVID-19 NYCC-19, a humanitarian outfit, says it has commenced putting in place structures at the state level to enhance its activities to accomplish the desired results.
This is also in furtherance of the mandate of engaging about 10 million youths to serve as information agents to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The Vice Chairman and Head of State Affairs National Steering Committee, NYCC-19, Prince Chibuike Echem, said this at the south east zonal inauguration of COVID-19 Committee and the Youth Personality in Umuahia, Abia State
He said that Nigeria was the first African country to domesticate the United Nations’ global compact for youth in humanitarian action on COVID-
He stated that NYCC-19 is not a political or religion platform, but a platform put in place to compliment Federal Government efforts in the fight against corona virus at all levels.
He urged all the State Executives to be committed in the discharge of their duties, as NYCC-19 is result oriented.
On his part, the Chairman, Advisory Board, NYCC-19 and Nigeria focal person, Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers, CAYWA, Uzor Ifeanyi, said the essence of setting up the state structures was specifically to sensitize people on the coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, it is in line on athe need for people to adhere to Federal Government protocols of staying safe.
He added that the committee was also charged with the responsibility to reach out to young people in the zone,displaced of their means of livelihood as a result of COVID-19 and gather data of unemployed young people toward empowering them nation wide.
Delivering a keynote address at the inauguration, on Covid-19 and the Youth Personality, Dr. Queen Obioma, said the initiative was apt “as this is a period when the inexplicable tragedy, called COVID-19 is ravaging physical, social and economic fabrics of the society, locally and globally.”
Obioma noted that, the pandemic was a transformative experience that had resolutely drifted people to frequent intensive and unpleasant emotions..
She said such experience was usually expressed through anxiety, stress, anger, depression and frustration.
This development,Obioma further noted prompted immediate short-term and more long-term consequences in terms of psychology, society, health and morality.
She expressed concern that the global economic and social meltdown had amplified the effects of personal differences and characteristic pattern of “how we feel, think, do things and our value both in good and bad dimensions.”
According to her “although most of us are not infected, but are affected and the impact is not departing soon.”
Obioma further stated that prior to now, youths had been pressured with hydra-headed challenges majority of who had been direct victims of dilapidated economy, unemployment, inadequate education system, among others.
Obioma said that young minds were being brainwashed by fortune seekers who accessed the basement of the young susceptible minds to further enrich their pockets.
“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic tripled the ugly situation as it prompts the youths to abject redundancy through lockdowns in view of the fact that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop
She said youths were the greatest and invaluable investments of the nation, hence they should not allow themselves to be used to perpetuate crimes.
She urged youths to be resolute change agents as they deploy all arsenals and doggedness toward ensuring that advocacy and sensitizations trickles down to the grassroots levels.
Abia State Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria, Emenike Innocent applauds, the NYCCC-19 for the successes attained so far in empowering the Nigerian youths, stating that the state coordinators and the executives should ensure that the essence of their emergence, as state executives, is carried out diligently.
This he said became necessary to ensure that the message gets to the national and rural areas.
The Abia State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Dr. Ngozi okechukwu, represented by the Assistant Director Victor, Orji noted that one of the challenges the country faced, this period, is lack of awareness in many quarters about the pandemic.
He added that most Nigerians “do not believe that there is corona virus, hence the NOA is ready to partner with the NYCC-19 to sensitize the people, most especially in the rural areas, to keep them abreast about the pandemic.
He urged youths to observe the Federal Government rules on ways to ease the spread of the virus, adding that COVID-19 is a virus that washing of hands with soap and water could easily cure, therefore, people should not joke with their health.
High point of the event is the inauguration of the 7-man committee each from the 5 states that make up the south east zone of Nigeria. They are; Abia, Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi.