Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Dr. Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, has urged youths in the state to take bold and coordinated action in addressing the challenges facing them, insisting that their collective voice and innovation are vital to building a prosperous future.
In a message to mark International Youth Day on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, themed “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, Odii said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would remain unattainable unless the realities of the youth population are taken seriously.
He lamented that despite their resilience, Ebonyi youths continue to face systemic neglect. Citing available statistics, Odii noted that about 79.8 percent of Ebonyi people live below the poverty line, with 78 percent trapped in multi-dimensional poverty, including lack of access to healthcare, sanitation, education, clean water, nutrition, and housing.
The former governorship hopeful also decried the state’s 32nd position out of 36 in Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business Index and its inability to attract any foreign direct investment from 2023 till date, unlike other Southeastern states.
He further pointed to the 2024 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index, in which Ebonyi ranked 34th with just 7 percent, describing it as evidence of poor audit efficacy and limited transparency in public financial management.
Odii expressed concern over the high youth unemployment and underemployment rate, saying, “Tens of thousands of graduates and school leavers roam the streets without jobs or sustainable livelihoods. The local economy, skewed toward patronage and extractive politics, fails to offer our youths space for innovation or entrepreneurship.”
While commending the creativity and courage of Ebonyi youths in areas like start-ups, sports, entertainment, and fashion despite limited support, Odii stressed that the paradox of “enormous potential trapped by poor governance” must end.
He called on youths to unite and engage actively in building a functional leadership system that supports rather than stifles them.
“This International Youth Day must go beyond rhetoric. It must be the launchpad for bold, local actions that align with the SDGs. The future we seek is not something to wait for. It is something to create now and together,” he charged.
