By Timfuchi Aaron
The Governor of the volatile North West region of Cameroon, Adolphe Lele Afrique, has launched activities to mark the 56th edition of the country’s Youth Day at a Military Stadium in Bamenda. Bamenda is the administrative seat of Lele’s embattled administrative unit.
The Youth Day will be celebrated February 11. But for over five years now, the celebration of the day in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions has been mired in gun battles from separatist fighters.
The launch of the activities in a military facility has left many reasoning that, it was a decision informed by the unstable security situation in the North West region. Pupils, students and young entrepreneurs displayed their works and talents in diverse domains of public life at the ceremony.
Speaking at the event, Governor Lele called on the youths and people of the North West region to pursue education and be responsible citizens.
“The major theme of this celebration is the mobilization of the youth to volunteer in helping the nation face it’s major challenges. In a context were our region has been given a Special Status and others, we are counting on the youth population to rally behind these institutions to bring back peace in the region,” the administrator noted.
The governor used the ceremony to encourage young people who have not been going to school to do so. He reassured that the security services have taken necessary measures to guarantee their safety.
On the sidelines of the event young persons in the North West region were encouraged to register with the National Youth Observatory of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education to benefit from the opportunities therein.The regional chief of General Affairs at the North West Regional Delegation of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Victor Fanka, stated that registration is free.
Fanka said, the three-year presidential youth plan of President Paul Biya is still ongoing. The plan he said is a special gift from the head of state.
The three-year special youth plan is a program with a budget of over 120 billion FCFA allocated to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education to empower young people. In the meantime, young people with entrepreneurial ideas were advised not to miss out on the plan.
