…Says Youths Must Take Over Governance
Renowned youths activist and immediate past African Representative of the World Assembly of Youths, Comrade Marvin Yobana has launched a platform known as Ogoni Sim Vanguard (OSV), tailored to support the Rivers State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sir Siminialayi Fubara.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday, Yobana who is the pioneer President of the Ogoni Youths Council (OYC) as well as former National Vice President of Nigerian Youth Council (NYC), said the launching of the group is in continuation of the struggle to ensure youth participation in governance.
He said the vanguard chose to back the candidacy of Sim Fubara to enable the youths bring in their youthful vigor and strength to bear in governance, adding that OSV is made up of young people across the four LGAs of Ogoni extraction.
Stating that the group cuts across the wards, units and the voting points in all Ogoni communities, Yobana believes that a young governor in the mold of Sim Fubara has what it takes to tackle insecurity, unemployment and other challenges confronting not just Ogoniland but the state at large.
“In taking the decision to support the Sim project, we looked at all the political parties and which of them saw the Rivers South East Senatorial District as a place that needs rapid development. We found that the PDP is that party that not only recognized the need to develop the Rivers South East, but has also chosen a son of Ogoni land and by extension, from Opobo.
“That’s why we said that if the governor in his wisdom has chosen him, why not we as young persons in this Senatorial district come together and support him and to sell the idea and vision of the governor down to the grassroots, so that we can be able to sensitize our people to ensure that there is nothing like vote-buying and selling out our PVCs”, he said.
The OSV boss disclosed that the group had completed the first phase of its task of sensitizing Ogonis at the grassroots, and are now embarking on door to door sensitization for them to collect their PVCs, urging them to secure the PVCs just the same way they do with their ATM cards.
His words, “They should hold their PVCs just the way they hold their ATM cards because the person we need to activate that Sim card by using this PVC for is the candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, Sir Sim Fubara who happens to be our brother, son and friend. He is our incoming governor, by the grace of God”.
On why the group is supporting SIM when there are other candidates of Ogoni extraction, Yobana had this to say:
“That is the issue we have come here to address. You see, Rivers State has 23 Local Government Areas. Out of the 23 LGAs, Ogoni extraction has 4 LGAs. I want us to do a little mathematics here please. If you remove 4 from 23, you have 19, right? So, out of 19, can 4 win 19 LGAa?
“We are not bringing an Ogoni governor. We are bringing a Rivers governor. We are the ones from this Senatorial District that will sell the programmes and activities and what we think that this government will do.
Anybody who is from Ogoni and wants to contest should also sell his ideas and plans to the rest of the 19 other LGAs”.
