OCCEN trains 36 youths on democracy, civic rights

The Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) with support from The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in United States, has held a three day training on Democracy and Civic Engagement for 36 youths in five north western states.

The participants consist of 20 males and 16 females from Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa and Kaduna states.

The training which was held in Kano focussed on raising young persons that will serve as democracy drivers in their respective communities and states.

The Executive Director of OCCEN, Abdulrazaq Alkali, said the objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of youths to demand good governance and political accountability in north western Nigeria.

“A democracy driver is a person specially trained by #OCCEN to carry out an intensive democracy education at the grassroots level,” he said.

One of the participants from Katsina, Ismail Bello, said, “The signing into law of the then NotTooYoungToRun bill by President Buhari addresses a major impediment to youths participation in politics. Whilst this is a remarkable feat, the goal of achieving increased youth representation in elective offices will remain a dream if other barriers are not removed.

He called for other youths to join forces and to take over leadership from the aging leaders.

“The future Is now and we believe that this extraordinary effort of OCCEN will solve many of Nigeria’s deep seated civic and political problems,” he noted.