Rivers State Government Clamps Down On Unverified Youth Groups

 

The Rivers State Ministry of Youth Development has  stopped the continued operation of unverified Community/ethnic based Youth Organisations in the state.

The directive was issued today in Port Harcourt by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Roland Obed Whyte  while inaugurating the newly elected Engeni Youth Assembly executives at the conference hall of the Ministry. 

Dr. Obed-Whyte reminded traditional  rulers, Council Chairmen and Community Development Committees in Rivers State that the State Government would clamp down on unregistered Community and 

Ethnic based youth bodies in the state, adding that such unregistered organisations cannot operate if they do not undergo the revalidation exercise being carried out by the Ministry.

He noted that the State Government decided to carry out the revalidation and security profiling exercise for Youth Organisations in order to have a verifiable database of Youth bodies in the state  and also to ascertain the credibility of the leaders of the youth bodies for purposes of accountability.

He, however, said that regrettably, the Ministry has discovered with dismay, that some Unverified  youth organisations often go to Radio Stations to issue threats to Government and companies doing business in the State, thus presenting the State as "unsafe for business".

Furthermore, he  stated that youth bodies still  operating in the state without being duly revalidated with the Ministry should desist forthwith till they have been  revalidated, adding that the Ministry would not hesitate to blacklist any youth organisation that fails to comply with the directive.

President of Engeni Youth Assembly Comrade Onem Okenya thanked the ministry for playing it's supervisory role by ensuring the conduct of a peaceful election in  Engeni kingdom and gave assurances that the youth body would operate in line with government stipulated guidelines and also in accordance with the law.

Highpoint of the event was the administering of the oath of office by a legal practitioner Barr. Anthony Omah Wamah, a Principal  State Counsel with the ministry of Justice in the State.