Etta Michael Bisong
Abuja
Stakeholders have tasked young people to mobilise and seek their rights to education from political authorities to facilitate socio-economic growth across Nigeria.
The experts, who gave the charge during a 1-day capacity training workshop organised by Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA) in Abuja, noted that the call has become necessary due to the poor attention given to the sector in political party’s development agenda.
“The manifestos do not have any agenda for education or the youths and we have to demand for what we want,’’ said Chioma Osuji, Policy and Advocacy Advisor to CSACEFA.
Osuji, in her remarks intimated that the workshop was organised to expose young people to global, national and regional best practices in education advocacy, as well as build their capacity on the current state of education in the country.
The education rights advocate charged the participants as well as other young people on the need to equip themselves, especially with tools such as Freedom of Information Act to enable them hold political leaders accountable to fulfil their campaign promises when elected into office.
Speaking also at the event, Ojonwa Miachi, Policy Advisor to Connected Development (CODE), revealed that the workshop is targeted at advancing advocacy strategies and how to fine-tune measures to ensure that education for all is a reality for every Nigerian.
Miachi decried that the MDGs is expected to expire soon and yet the goals have not been met due to the lack of inclusion of the youths and persons living with disabilities in decision and policy making processes.
For development to be sustained and ensure the necessary change, she said, youths must be involved in achieving the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
One of the beneficiaries of the training, Mr Onyebuchi Leonard, acknowledged the impact of the programme, which has increased his knowledge on the challenges in the sector and how young people can collectively address these problems.
Leonard noted the need for honest and constant review of activities to achieve the post 2015 development goals.
“I hope to see an overhaul in the educational sector after this training in the near future because the sector is in much need of honest and constant review,’’ he said.