THE Director General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Comrade Issa Aremu, has appealed to African youths to change the narrative of Africa from a false impression of a failing continent to that of a working and fast growing region as contained in Africa Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 of inclusive growth and sustainable development for Africa.
Comrade Aremu made the appeal last weekend while addressing the virtual second IndustriALL Global Union African Region Youth Zoom Conference anchored from Johannesburg South Africa and monitored in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
IndustriALL Global Union organises 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors, with affiliate unions in Africa including Nigeria.
In his remark at the opening session of the youth conference, Comrade Aremu who is also the Vice President of the global union, charged participants drawn from 60 affiliates in Africa, charged the Youth Committee members to change the narrative of Africa “from despair to hope, from poverty to prosperity, income inequality to fair distribution of wealth to all, banditry and child/students kidnappings to sustainable security and peace.”
Comrade Aremu, while expressing the readiness of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies to up-scale the capacity for African youths for the integration of young workers into trade unions in Africa, advised the youth to confront xenophobia, drug abuse and corruption which, according to him, “had underdeveloped Africa just as colonialism, imperialism and apartheid did”.
Comrade Aremu observed that Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with almost 60% of its population under the age of 25, adding that “youth population is both an opportunity and a challenge for the continent”. He urged the youth committee of Industrial Global Union to lead the campaign for youth and women inclusion in trade unions and the larger society.
He observed that despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic which necessitated rounds of lockdowns in some countries, African youths must make the point that Africa is working not failing. According to him, Africa has made progress in democracy and democratisation worthy of celebration.
“South Africa has witnessed 6 democratic five-year cycles of election. Nigeria has also conducted 6 four-year presidential elections. Ghana 8 elections. There is no doubt that Africa is becoming democracy destination,” Aremu said, adding however that just like other parts of the world, democracy is under attack in Africa, citing Mali, with two military coups in the last 9 months.
He called on African youths to back the demand of ECOWAS that the military returns Mali to democracy which he said will only guarantee freedom for trade unions to thrive. He urged the youths to “reaffirm support for democracy and demand that nobody takes to power without peoples’ mandate in Africa.”
Aremu called for African solidarity for the people of Myanmar whom he said have, at enormous costs to their lives, risen against the military junta that usurped power since February this year.
