Abia youths under the umbrella of Progressive Abia Youths (PAY) has advocated for a better security network, quality educational and infrastructural development schemes for the residents of the state.
The youths drawn from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state had articulated some of the challenges faced by residents of their areas during an interaction with journalists in Umuahia the state capital on Saturday, thereby demanding for an improved service delivery from the state and federal government.
The challenges brought to the fore by the Local Government coordinators of the group includes irregular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuity to government workers and retirees.
Others includes the problems of insecurity, poor road network within the state, lack of quality education, improper waste management, youth unemployment and substance abuse among teenagers in the state.
In a communique made available to our correspondent by president general of PAY Mr Ekejiuba Daberechi Kingsley, the group insisted that Abia residents deserves a better service delivery from those in the executive and legislative arms of government.
Kingsley, pointed out that the group
"acknowledges the role qualitative education plays in the economic,
social, and infrastructural development of developing countries in building capacity,
improving quality of life, and preparing future generations for the challenges that lie ahead".
He however regretted that the Abia experience has left students in the state with little or nothing to write home about as a result of small budgetry allocation to the educational sector over the years.
According to him, "The primary and secondary schools in the school are perpetually moribund, and while a majority of them are understaffed, while others are completely dilapidated.
"As a result, we urge the state government to declare a state of
emergency in all the state-owned schools in a bid to tackle this issue and restore the pride of our public education sector before the end of the current administration.
"We request that the school feeding program, gulping hundreds of millions of our revenue, be
suspended and the resources be channeled to the payment of teachers’ salaries. It
doesn’t make sense to feed school children when their teachers are owed. The school is not
an eatery; it’s a place for learning and the priority is on education, not eating or feeding as you call it".
"We appreciate the efforts of the government and the Commissioner of
Police in curbing the menace of insecurity that has bedeviled our state.
"We commiserate with the
families that have lost their loved ones, those that have been forced to pay ransoms
for their kidnapped relatives, and those that have been rendered helpless by the
unfortunate incidence in Lokpanta. Umunneochi, Isuikwuato and Ohafia have been
under siege and the government has done little to salvage the situation; other LGAs
suffer similar fates. We condemn in strong terms the kidnapping of the Methodist
Prelate, students, medical doctors, and the recent killing of more than eight youths in
Ohafia.
"On the premise of verified data and evidence, we discovered that the major reason why these issues persist is because our security system is insufficient. Abia
State is being under policed.
"How do you explain the fact that some LGAs in Abia, with over
90,000 people, have fewer than five well-equipped police stations? We call on Abia
State legislators at the National Assembly to support the State Police bill sponsored
by Hon. Onofiok Luke and ensure that state police is moved from the exclusive to the
concurrent list. After all, security is local. Let the State Governors be given the power to police their State so that the people can hold them accountable".
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