Some Mushin youths, under the aegis of
Adeshina Youths Empowerment Forum, have mobilised other youths in Mushin
area of Lagos State to shun the violence that the area is noted for
and, rather, be profitably engaged in skills acquisition programmes and
other profitable ventures.
The youths used the opportunity of the
monthly environmental sanitation in the state on Saturday to demonstrate
their vision by clearing the drainage channels in some streets,
conducting free medical examinations for elders in the area, and playing
soccer.
The coordinator of the forum, Ufot John,
said the group was compelled to make the difference because of the
notorious nature of the area and the growing restlessness of its jobless
youths.
He said, “Most times, when you introduce
yourself as a resident of Mushin, people tend to think you are a bad
person. However, we want to change this perception by empowering the
youths in the area to be self reliant.
“We are starting from Adeshina Street,
and as you can see we have begun by ensuring a clean environment. We are
also engaging about six of our jobless youths in skills acquisition
programmes, including tailoring. We will extend it to every nook and
cranny of Mushin and even to the state level.”
A resident of the street and co-founder
of the forum, Mr. Kodaolu Olugbenga, said he had lived in the
environment for over 28 years and knew the peculiar challenges in the
area.
He said the cleaning of the drainage channels was also a way of maintaining the newly constructed road on the street.
He said, “This area was one of the worst in term of security and infrastructure until this new road was constructed.
“We feel that if the government has
given us dividend of democracy, we should also show gratitude by
imbibing a culture of maintenance. This was why we decided that aside
empowering our youths, we should also ensure a safe environment.”
Olugbenga said there had been an enthusiastic response from the youths and adults living in the area.
A teacher, Mrs. Florence Balogun, lauded
the youths for the initiative. She said, “I advise the government to
join us. We don’t want criminals in our area again, and since most of
them are showing the willingness to work and do something good with
their lives, it will be good if the government can support us and engage
them.”
