Tonto Dike Advocates more Inclusion of Youths, Women in Policy Making, Leadership

Yemi Akinsuyi

Director, Socials and Empowerment Committee of Youths on Mobilisation and Sensitisation (CYMS), Tonto Dike has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to include more youths and women in policy making in the country.
Dike made the call at the monthly National Policy and Development Summit (N-PoD), organized by the office of the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to President Muhammadu Buhari on Policy Development Analysis held in Abuja on Tuesday.
She said: ”Growing up, I heard that children are the leaders of tomorrow, so it’s only just fair in time that children start to get included for the things they are going to encounter in future.
”I always believe in leadership and I believe in hierarchy in leadership. I believe in who has been there tutoring who is going to come in.
”Including our youths in office actually means having a sector where youths can participate in policy and decision making.
”We want to hear that we belong, we want to know that we are responsible and be included in things that matter in the country,” she said.
She noted that the women should also be given greater inclusion as much as the men for a more balanced gender equality in governance.
”Not just youths that should be involved but also women. The Buhari government has tried to curb this but a lot more needs to be done.
”Including more women will change the country for the better. Women are natural leaders and you can’t take that away from us.
”We have a lot to give, so we should be given the opportunity to speak and contribute our quota to the society,” she said.
According to Dike, deliberate steps need to be taken in ensuring that the various institutions of government stand the test of time.
She said:”for any legacy to stand the test of time, there must be continuation, effectiveness and a positive effect on its beneficiaries .”
On his part, Social Activist, and a Nollywood actor, Dr Kenneth Okonkwo, commended efforts of President Buhari in ensuring continuity in the various projects left by his predecessor.
Okonkwo, however, urged the president to choose a youth to succeed him in office.
”The best way to preserve your legacy is to choose men out of the people. He should choose a younger man to face the challenges of Nigeria.
”The greatest legacy of the president is continuity. This is because when he came into power, all the pending projects of the past administration, he tried to complete them,” he noted.
On security, he said the present administration had done a lot in ensuring security of lives and properties in the country but more still needed to be done.
He said the issue of security should be delegated and not left in the hands of one man to ensure the security of millions of Nigerians.
The President, Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria Ltd., Dr Harriet Akubuiro, said it was imperative for the legacy of the present administration to be sustained.
Akubuiro said:” Mr President should please give the country the best free and fair election, for this will lead to the emergence of another competent and visionary leader as our President.
”He should encourage such a leader to engage knowledgeable technocrats and provide support to them even after he is gone so as to sustain these legacies.
”He should also establish a risk management commission that would assist in regulating institutional function in this country,” he said.
Similarly, the Managing Director , Soul Sight Nigeria Ltd, Joko Okupe, urged citizens to stop the blame game and strive to work for the good of Nigerians.
”We should try to ensure continuity in government irrespective of party and strive as citizens to close all gaps.
”The President has done his best within the resources available to him, let us try to build on things that are landmark which the president has done,” she said.