Former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has played host to a delegation of Nigerian young people led by co-convener of Nigeria Youth Decide, NYD Dr. Utchay Odims.
The visit comes ahead of a major project, the Nigeria Youth Decide Conference coming up in Abuja on October 1, 2022 at Abuja Sheraton Hotel.
Receiving Dr. Odims and his team, the respected elder statesman said there is a great discrepancy between the standing of Nigeria in the international community in his days as a youth and what it is now.
Going memory lane, Chief Anyaoku said the Nigeria of early 60s when he was a member of Nigerian permanent delegation to the UN in New York where he spent over three years is different from what it is now.
"Then Nigeria's leadership and role in Africa was unquestionable. When in 1964, the UN faced a major crisis, existential crisis, because of a major crisis between the Soviet Union group and US and Western group, the three Ambassadors who rescued the UN were the Nigerian ambassador, the Indian ambassador and the Japanese ambassador.
"Just to show you the standing of Nigeria in those days. And on those days, Nigeria's green passport was respected at the international airports, the country gave us great hope.
"At that time the country was in terms of social development in the same level with South Korea, we were a notch higher than Malaysia in the early 60s.
"Look at where we are today, we are more than one generation behind the South Korea, we are years and years behind Malaysia, Nigerian passport is disrespected internationally. If you present the green passport, you are being viewed with suspicion and disrespect" he said.
He therefore applauded the organisers of Nigeria Youth Decide Conference for their courage and determination to change the country through the power of PVC.
He said the decline in ethical values is responsible for the worsening leadership in the country, pledging his total support for the youths to be part leadership in the campaign for a new Nigeria.
Earlier, Dr. Odims informed Chief Anyaoku that the conference which coincide with Nigeria's Independence day will have in attendance presidential candidates of various political parties where the participants will tell them their vision of a new Nigeria.
Dr. Odims expressed confidence that young Nigerians have demonstrated exceptional skills in all they do within and outside the shores of the country, wondering why the country is disadvantaged in leadership.
He stated that the visible presence of young people will be a way forward to the birth of a new Nigeria that offers hope to the entire African region.
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