Comr. Yusuf Kumo is excited to be one of the five (5) youth from Gombe state sponsored by the gombe state government to represent the state in this youth capacity building programme organized by the Federal Ministry of youth and sports development at Jos, plateau state.
In a press statement that he sent to us dated 11th Feb, 2021, he said that as a young person and disability right activist and advocate, he thought it necessary to drop his take about the programme.
He said that the programme which was organized by the Federal government through the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports development requested that states should forward 5 youths to represent their respective states.
“However, it is unfortunately that among the 19 Northern states that send delegates only Gombe state included at least one Person with Disability. I do not know about the south because Southern programme is holding at Osun state” he lamented.
He feels that what other states did is exclusion of PWDs because inclusion require one to include both women and PWDs and this was exactly what Gombe state government does by selecting two women, three youth men whom he is part of, and as a Deaf, he represented PWDs and all the participants were selected from various local government of the 3 geo-political zones of the north.
He applauded his state government for practicing inclusion and If all government would adopt it, there would be equal representation in policies, programmes, appointment etc and discrimination/segregation of PWDs will be a thing of past.
While he commended the Federal Government/Federal Ministry of Youth and sport for the laudable initiative, He specially thanked the Gombe state government, the Hon.Commissioner Ministry of Youth and the Chairman of NYCN(The mother body of our youth unions) Alamin Gabarin for their rational decisions to ensure the selection is inclusive covering all interest group including PWDs.
He promised to justify his inclusion in the programme.
National Youth Empowerment Program (YEP2021) is a programme of Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to engage selected Nigerian Youths in Skill Acquisition in agriculture related businesses and tailoring/fashion. The idea behind it is build the capacity of these young people to find a means of livelihood through these line of businesses. It is covering youths from all the states of the Federation including FCT.
