Tour of Central C’River: Oden Ewa Charges Youths to Support Progressive Leaders, APC

… says Tinubu, Otu have made impactful, sustainable contributions to youth development

The Cross River State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Honourable Oden Ewa, has charged Nigerian youths to support and embrace progressive ideals, whom he said are fully represented and demonstrated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) through purposeful governance.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Cross River State Governor, Senator 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 recently concluded tour of the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State on 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 at large.

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 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.

According to Ewa, “True leadership goes beyond the distribution of handouts,” he said. “Sharing rice or money can never be the ultimate reward. The real reward lies in providing lasting infrastructure, well-funded education, quality road networks, a functional healthcare system, and other essential services that uplift the standard of living of the people.”

The tour provided an open and inclusive platform for youths to freely express their concerns, challenges, and aspirations. Ewa reassured them of better days ahead, encouraging them to remain focused, progressive, and constructive, while noting that only progressive minds can drive meaningful development. He added that the future of the nation rests heavily on the character and vision of its youths.

The two-day tour covered communities in Boki, Etung, Ikom, Abi, Obubra, and Yakurr Local Government Areas. In addition to donating food items, including bags of rice, and providing financial support to the six LGAs, the Commissioner announced a ₦100 million youth grant for each local government area, amounting to a total of ₦600 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.