By CrossRiverWatch admin
On Tuesday 25th August 2015, the Hon. Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. John Gaul Lebo unveiled the Cross River State Democracy Club and Youth Parliament at the mini auditorium of the Cross River State House of Assembly Complex, Calabar.
In his speech, the Speaker said democracy is the best system of governance and that it has come to stay in Nigeria. He added that in order to help sustain and deepen democracy, the tenets and values of democracy had to be promoted among the people.
This he said this could be achieved through Democracy Club and Youth Parliament which are two concepts that are been practiced globally.
“For a strong and virile democracy to exist there must be the rule of law and the development of strong democratic institutions. In addition to these, there is the need to inculcate democratic values among the citizenry.
“One of the ways to achieve this is through the establishment of the Democracy Club” said the speaker.
He enumerated the objectives of the democracy club to include: To deepen democracy in Cross River State by inculcating democratic values in our citizens and building democratic culture.
To educate and enlighten people on the tenets of democracy and provide opportunities for learning like democracy workshops and conferences.
To allow students to participate in democratic processes, learn about parliamentary procedure and government and participate in government and/or service-oriented projects.
To help the youth learn democratic norms and tenets and grow into the role of next generation leaders and champions of democracy.
The Hon. Speaker appointed Mr. Emmanuel Etim the premier President of
the democracy club and Youth Parliament.
Mr. Etim while accepting his appointment said “My immediate actions will be to see to the establishment of Democracy Clubs in all wards and Local Governments in the state. We will also establish clubs in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Cross River State.
“I want to appreciate the Hon. Speaker for the confidence reposed in me to drive these concepts at this time and see that they are well established and grounded in the state. I will do my best to achieve set goals and objectives in record time with the help of God.
“I also want to thank the Governor of Cross River State His Excellency, Senator Professor Benedict Ayade for his support for the initiative and the will to see to the growth of democracy in Cross River State.”
Democracy Club and Youth Parliament are two concepts that have been established to promote democratic culture globally and Cross River State is set to join the rest of the world in building on what it has already achieved in the growth of Democracy in the state.
Club representatives among many other benefits will be expected to accompany parliamentarians to International Parliamentarians Association (IPA) Conferences, Commonwealth Parliamentarians Association (CPA) Conferences and Africa Parliamentarians Association (APA) Conferences.
Leave feedback about this