About seven months after floating a parallel association, a splinter group of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) under the auspices of Interim Management Committee (IMC) has pledged loyalty to the Hon. Alabi Kolade David-led association, pledging that “all cases in court and petitions before the security agencies” instituted for and against ALGON leadership be withdrawn immediately.

This was disclosed in a resolution signed by all the seven members of the factional group. The IMC members who returned to ALGON include Hon. Ige Ropo Emmanuel, Hon. Adeagbo Adeniyi, Hon. Dangiye Ubarugu, Hon. Emeka Ogelle, Hon. Idi Aminu, Hon. Wasiu Owolabi and Hon. Yinka Dallas Ayeni.

They maintained that “going forward, we pledge our loyalty to the spirit and letter of our constitution and we hereby call on all members of the general Assembly of ALGON to join hands with the current NEC to move ALGON in the right direction and we equally solicit for the utmost support and cooperation of all ALGON stakeholders and the general public as ALGON proceeds on the path of peace and unity.”

With the collapse of its parallel structure, the dissident group has now pledged total loyalty to Hon. Alabi-led leadership of the Association.

The Interim Management Committee (IMC), which broke away from the association on May 30, 2020, explained that they were earlier misled and have now come to the realization of the truth.

The now defunct IMC comprising the signatories to the resolution are council chairmen met in Abuja on December 10, 2020 and resolved: “that there is overall need for peace in the due administration of our noble Association under the leadership of Hon. Kolade David Alabi.

“That all cases in court and petitions before the security agencies instituted for and against be withdrawn forthwith.

‘That all grievances expressed by members be channeled to the Hon. Kolade David Alabi-led National Executive Committee and finally “that the current leadership summons an emergency meeting of the General Assembly to further unify our Association.”

Recalling their short-lived journey, they said the IMC was “set up by some honourable chairmen of local government councils from across the nation on 30th of May, 2020 owing to some misgivings, misunderstanding and misinformation and misrepresentations in the affairs of our national office.

“However, it is commonly said that time heals wounds; the events that ensued after have subsequently led members to rethink and rescind their actions and return to the fold.

“Firstly, the erstwhile chairman of the IMC, Hon Abdullahi Maje took a detour from the mandate of the IMC and eventually voluntarily resigned from that position based on the directive of His Excellency, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, Governor of Niger State.

“Secondly, members received clarifications on the erroneous reservations hitherto held against the leadership of our noble Association on the issues of finance and the articles of our constitution and more importantly, members realized that some of the allegations bandied were figments of the imagination of a former staff who has constituted himself into distraction for selfish purposes.

“Also, in the light of the fundamental fact that the lifespan of the IMC expired by effluxion of time on the 30th November 2020 without renewal, we have now come to the following just and inevitable resolutions”, to return to the ALGON mainstream led by Hon. Alabi and to pledge unalloyed support and loyalty to his leadership.

In view of the precarious situation of the Endsars protests and its urgly aftermaths, that led to 5 demands and further demands for good governance, as a fundamental parthway towards achieving this great milestones and optimal panacea, the apex umbrella coalition body of the various Nigerian youth led organizations: Nigerian Youth Coalition(NYC), alongside Coalition of Southern Groups (CSG) led by Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW), Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council, Ijaw Youth Council, Association of Southern Nigerian Students (ASONIS), while Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) led by Arewa Consultative Forum and others presented three cardinal bills to the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The bills are the National Youth Development Commission Bill, and the National Youth Right Bill and Education Right Bill, which were presented to the leadership of the National Assembly.

For the House of Representatives, the bills were presented through Hon. Jide Obanikoro, Representing Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, Hon. Yemi Adaramodun, Chairman, House Committee on Youth Development, Hon. Ibrahim Alli- Balogun, SA to the Speaker on Youth Matters for onward submission to Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker, Federal House of Representatives.

On behalf of the upper chambers, Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya of Kano South Senatorial District received the bills for onward presentation to the President of the Senate, Senator Dr. Ahmed Lawan, while another was submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare for onward accelerated passage and accents respectively.

According to a statement signed by Aare Barr Oladotun Hassan, President, Nigerian Youth Coalition, the bills are “expected to be simultaneously domesticated in all the 36 states and FCT respectively.”

As part of the excerpt of the National Youth Development Commission Bill is aimed at regulating and creating an enabling environment through the instrumentality of the law to create youth standardization and regulatory institution committed to the provision of laws for the protection of all rights and privileges for all youths between ages 12 to 45 years of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, irrespective of sex, ethnicity, religion, ideology or political affiliations, expected to be simultaneously domesticated in all the 36 states and FCT respectively.

“This bill is expected to ensure the establishment of a National Youth Trust Fund, which shall remain accessible to all Nigerian youths through an established National Youth Microfinance Bank institutions in all the 774 local governments nationwide, wherein specifically monthly 10% (Subject to increase and acceptability of all Nigerian Youths) Youth Derivatives before joint sharing by the federal, states and local governments from the federation account through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Revenue Accounts, furthermore 5% Telecommunications Funds via deductible tariffs charges by telecommunication companies in Nigeria, and 5% Oil and Gas Revenue Fund deductible on every revenue of sales from the NNPC, NLNG and other oil and gas private companies nationwide, and any other national youth investment funds, schemes and national youth policy plan supports shall be deposited solely into the National Youth Trust Fund, directly funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“While the National Education Right Bill is aimed at regulating and creating an enabling education rights and privileges law, wherein not less than 25% budgetary allocation shall be alloted and released to the education sector, with other positively driven ideas and unprecedented advantages that will reshape the Nigeria’s education sector , wherein Education Trust Fund, TETFUND and other education related schemes and funds shall be regulated by the National Education Development Council.

“This bill shall equally provide for free and qualitative education from primary, secondary, adult literacy and vocational training, while special education grant and scholarships to students in university and other tertiary institutions shall be given to the indigent and other less privileged citizens.

“Thus, this bill reiterate the need for compulsory teaching of the following subjects: history, anti corruption studies, citizens rights and national security studies, moral instruction and code of conduct studies and indigenous languages in our education curriculums Nationwide.

“The National Youth Right bill will provide for the protection of youth rights in accordance with the African Charter of Human Rights and Universal Rights, while all leading youth organizations like NYCN, NANS, NAPS, NYO, NYP, NYC, CFNN, CSG, CNG shall be duly recognized by the new bill, if passed this will go a long way to aggressively salvage the ailing problems in Nigeria.

“We demand the need for all Nigerians to join voices with us towards the realization of a new Nigeria of our dream”, the groups noted.