Okorocha to focus on youths to tackle crimes

Governor Rochas Okorocha, on Sunday, said that his administration would pay particular attention to the youths in the state this year (2016), especially in the area of employment and empowerment.

He added that the interest of the youths must be placed above that of the older ones.

Governor Okorocha made the remark at the church dedication of his grandson, Master Jidenna Anthony Anwuka, on Sunday, at Saint Joseph Catholic Chaplaincy, Imo State University, Owerri.

He stressed that engaging the youths gainfully would check crimes like kidnapping, fraud, armed robbery and so on. The couple, Dr. Tony Anwuka Jnr and Mrs. Uju Okorocha, parents of the baby are the son and daughter of Gov. Okorocha and Prof. Anwuka, Minister of state for Education respectively.

His words: “It cannot be explained why people who are more than 50 years and above would be in the system working, while their children or those between the ages of 20 and 35 would be idle, roaming the street, even with the required qualifications. The situation does not call for celebration at all.

“Go and check, all those being arrested for kidnapping, armed robbery and other heinous crimes are always between the ages of 18 and 35. You can hardly get a man above 40 years getting involved in these serious crimes against the society. So we must act now to secure the future of these young ones”.

According to Governor Okorocha, the “factory, factory, factory and job, job, job,” crusade of his administration and the young millionaires club initiative of his administration were all targeted at getting the youths meaningfully engaged in the overall interest of the society, adding that his government would take some radical steps in this 2016 to have this lofty dream for the youths realised.

Minister of state for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka, in his short speech at the service said, both the government at the centre and the one in the state all meant well for the citizenry and asked for prayers for both, stating that it was the wish of God that his son would marry the governor’s daughter, with the marriage being blessed now with a baby boy.

Earlier, the officiating minister, Rev. Father Jerome Okonkwo urged every Christians to reconcile with God in the spirit of the New Year, adding that the celebrations that go with the entry into the New Year should reflect in our lives as children of God.

He said that any New Year resolution that does include reconciliation with God in whatever way, means we had fallen short of his glory and this has left much to be desired, urging the parents of the new baby to bring him up with the fear of God.