Oden Ewa, Cross River State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations
The Cross River State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Oden Ewa, has charged Nigerian youths to support and embrace progressive ideals, which, according to him, are fully represented and demonstrated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) through purposeful governance.
He said President Bola Tinubu and Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, have made impactful and sustainable contributions to youth development at the national and state levels by investing in programmes and policies that secure the future of young Nigerians.
Ewa made the remarks during the just-concluded tour of the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State under the platform of Oden Ewa Central Youths Connect, a visionary initiative designed to create a platform for intellectual engagement and purposeful interaction with youths across the district.
During the tour, the Commissioner held a series of engagements and interactive sessions with youths, APC members, and community leaders, highlighting their critical roles in shaping the future of Cross River State and Nigeria.
He educated participants on the core principles of progressive leadership, drawing a distinction between such leaders and what he described as static and retrogressive “push-and-start” leaders—individuals he said that lack the zeal, vision, and capacity to create value or provide purposeful leadership, and who can only offer temporary handouts rather than lasting solutions.
Ewa stressed that “stomach infrastructure” cannot bring about genuine human or societal development, urging youths not to settle for less but to align themselves with progressive leaders and the APC, who have prioritised investments in infrastructure and human capital development.
The two-day tour covered communities in Boki, Etung, Ikom, Abi, Obubra, and Yakurr local council areas. In addition to donating food items, including bags of rice, and providing financial support to the six councils, the Commissioner announced a N100 million youth grant for each local council area, amounting to N600 million.
He assured the youths that the process of accessing the grants would be transparent, fair, and inclusive. To this effect, he immediately released application forms to youth coordinators across the six LGAs to demonstrate his commitment.
Speaking on behalf of the organisers, the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the Cross River State Central Youths Connect, Fabian Okwajie, expressed profound gratitude to the Commissioner for dedicating quality time to engage with youths and community leaders.
He described the initiative as bold and transformative, noting that it has opened new pathways for youth empowerment and sustainable development in Central Cross River State.
“This initiative is the first of its kind in our senatorial district and reflects the Honourable Commissioner’s consistent commitment to the welfare of the people,” Okwajie said.
He added that the outreach builds on Ewa’s recent tour of the six LGAs during the Yuletide season, where he provided substantial support to stakeholders and APC leadership, stressing that more impactful programmes and interventions are already underway for the benefit of the people.
