Comr. Timiyan Doubra, who recently declared his interest to vie for the position of Youth President of Kokodiagbene Youth Development Movement (KYDM), the youth arm of oil-rich Kokodiagbene community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, in this recent interview with PENGlobal Politics, speaks extensively on the importance of the youth body, his mission, achievements in leadership, among other sundry matters. Excerpts:

➡️ Introduction

My names is Comrade Timiyan Doubra. I am the incumbent president of the National Association of Gbaramatu Students (NAGS), an executive member of Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC) Student Rep. and a member of the GYC Security Council. Also, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Gbaramatu Clan Structure Student Rep., all in Gbaramatu Kingdom.I had formally declared my interest and aspiration to contest for KYDM President, which will be in a couple of months from now.

➡️ The office of KYDM

KYDM is the organ responsible for the wellbeing of Kokodiagbene youths. And the reason why we have periodic election, like in the case of KYDM, every three years, is to bring in a government with new initiatives toward finding solutions to emanating problems in the community. So, the office of the KYDM president is very important and as such it needs somebody that is well versatile in the affairs of leadership, to pilot its affairs, and to ensure that what is rightfully that of Kokodiagbene youths is given to them. 

➡️ My mission in KYDM

My coming to KYDM is to find solutions to the problems we are facing as a youth body; the creation of job opportunities, and to ensure that there is diversification of career because over a couple of years, multinational companies have been in operation, but they have not been able to find permanent solutions to the problems affecting the youths of Kokodiagbene. Also, in investing in human capacity which is a sine qua non in terms of operation.

➡️ Leading with examples

I am leading with example. I am talking from the aspect of a result-oriented individual because I am a student union president and I represented Kokodiagbene community effectively well. I held student mentorship programme in Kokodiagbene, I never made a manifesto on that, but because I had the interest at heart, I took it upon myself. And when I emerged president, I made Kokodiagbene my first priority. Also, I have invested in human capacity as a student union president and have invested in Kokodiagbene students who are now student union leaders. Those are results I have. Overtime I have also engaged multinational companies, State commission such as the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), and other government parastatals as regard the affairs of student union. So today, if I emerge as youth president, this clearly shows that I will also function effectively well because I am not just coming to make promises, I have given examples of what I have achieved. 

➡️ Continuity in Leadership

So, my aspiration of contesting for Kokodiagbene youth president is to continue from where I have stopped; I am not standing on fresh ground. The records are there for anyone to verify. At a point, even when Kokodiagbene youths, inclusively, under GYC, we felt that youths in Gbaramatu Kingdom were marginalized, we took a protest, engage Neconde, NPDC, and White Dove; we even engaged EGCDF, with results. So I am not only coming here with manifesto, I am coming here with manifestation of what I had done.

➡️ I am also a negotiator

Let me give you examples of cases I have encountered in the student union struggle. Overtime, as a student union president, personally I have experienced embargo placed on the office whereby you will not be allowed to give what is right to the student. In terms of negotiation, we know how to go about it. We have the results. I have on one-on-one engaged multinational corporations, government parastatals like the NDDC, DESOPADEC and the rest; even oil companies, as a student union president. And we got result. And overtime, even when you want to take some certain decisions towards these external bodies, some internal factors will want to frustrate your efforts. But then we know how to go about this project. I am a negotiator by profession. And in a situation whereby our efforts are frustrated, if it requires the use of force, we will use force. We know the constitutional measures of how to make the needs of a people, met. And constitutionally we will ensure that what belongs to Kokodiagbene youths get to them at the shortest time possible, even if it means going down to the state government house, we know how to go about it.

➡️ Challenges of Kokodiagbene youths

Kokodiagbene youths in general, you will agree with me that, first; KYDM operations in the past years owe the responsibility of creating job opportunities for the youths. But I am of the opinion that creation of jobs is just one of the numerous functions of KYDM. Kokodiagbene youths have overtime suffered unemployment, but then you will also agree with me that these oil companies in our terrain cannot give us all the job slots we need, they cannot employ all of us. It now calls for a visionary dogged leader to now look for ways to pave provisions for those, who, for one thing or the other, cannot be employed in the oil companies. It calls for diversification of career. Those persons you know that don’t have the needed requirements to function or work in the companies and the rest, you have skill acquisition there and other business ideas you sell out to them. So, overtime, they have suffered from the area of unemployment. Also, I will put it to you that I have personally observed that Kokodiagbene youths are barely seen outside the political space of Kokodiagbene community. And that is something we need to work on. If today you build a house in Kokodiagbene community, five or 15 or 20 years from now you will need to renovate that house for you to keep up to standard. But if you invest in a person today in Kokodiagbene community, 15 to 20 years from now that person will renovate Kokodiagbene community for it to keep up to standard. So we need to, should I say, cut off that embargo of involving oneself in just community political affair. We need to create a foundation whereby Kokodiagbene youths will see opportunity to grow politically, economically. Let there be in the space of the kingdom, in the local government, in the state and even federal, if possible. We know how to go about these things.

➡️ KYDM needs experienced leader

Building KYDM is an all inclusive task at this point in time, everybody need to come together. At this point we don’t need to confront each other, but rather we need to complement each other’s efforts. I am saying it here and now that I have the needed prerequisite, the experience, the result in past time to show that I can function well in KYDM president. So, let us take away sentiment, favourtism, nepotism; let’s look for who has what it takes. If the progress of Kokodiagbene youths is at the State Government House, will your preferred candidate be able to get it done within the shortest time possible? It is a very important question. So let us look at the potential, the capacity to function effectively well as a youth president. 

➡️ Appeal to Kokodiagbene youths

I want to appeal to Kokodiagbene youths to give me the opportunity to pilot their affairs, still standing on the premise that we need to work together to build KYDM. I am saying it here and now that if any candidate can present a better scorecard with result experience in the past, leadership experience, and all that is needed to pilot KYDM, I will step down and support that individual. However, I want to beg that they give me the needed support. If I emerge president I might not be able to give all of them employment, it’s a fact; but then they will have something to appreciate. As I’ve said before, I will build a foundation for the younger ones and for other youths in the community to establish on. Thank you.

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