Idara Jerome, Uyo
Female youths in Akwa Ibom State have been given a fresh opportunity to contest for the position of village youth president, with the State Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerette Ekanem, disclosing this on Monday.
Declaring that gender should no longer constitute a barrier to grassroots youth leadership, Ekanem, during a live programme in Uyo, urged young women across the state to take advantage of the opportunity and actively participate in the leadership of their communities.
He said women had demonstrated their capacity to lead at the highest levels, stressing that there was no reason they should be excluded from village youth leadership.
“If women can become presidents of countries, they can also become village youth presidents,” he said.
The Commissioner also disclosed that village youth presidents across the state would henceforth serve a three-year tenure, with an opportunity to seek a second term after the expiration of their first tenure.
According to him, the new tenure arrangement takes effect from 2026, irrespective of how long an incumbent may have previously served.
“The tenure we are talking about starts from this year. What this means is that even if someone has been a president in the past years, his three-year tenure commences this year,” Ekanem explained.
He further announced that elections for village youth presidents in the state’s 2,272 villages would henceforth be conducted simultaneously, saying the arrangement would provide a common tenure cycle and ensure greater uniformity and coordination in grassroots youth leadership.
The Commissioner said the Ministry was currently collating data on the 2,272 village youth presidents as part of an ongoing verification exercise, adding that the eligible age limit for the position was clearly stated on the validation forms being used.
He explained that the exercise was aimed at establishing an accurate and credible database of youth leaders across the state, after which duly verified village youth presidents would be integrated into the state’s security architecture through the Ibom Community Watch.
Ekanem said the integration would strengthen community-level intelligence gathering and security coordination, considering the strategic position of village youth leaders in their respective communities.
He commended Governor Umo Bassey Eno for his commitment to youth development, while calling on village heads, traditional rulers and other community stakeholders to cooperate with youth presidents and support them in carrying out their responsibilities.
The Commissioner said the ongoing reforms were designed to build a more coordinated, inclusive and effective youth leadership structure capable of contributing meaningfully to peace, security and development at the grassroots.
