In what appears to be an appreciation of his performance since assuming office, the General Congress of the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF) has passed a vote of confidence on the Youth Leader of Bonny Kingdom, Anthony Banigo, and the Central Executive Council (CEC) of the apex youth body in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The confidence vote was passed on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at the auditorium of the BYF Secretariat in Bonny, Rivers State.

Chairman of the Congress, Karibi Dappa predicated the decision of his fellow congressmen and women on the performance of the CEC under the watch of Mr. Banigo, noting that the Bonny Kingdom Youth Leader and his executives have performed beyond expectations despite the limited resources at their disposal.   

“This administration is very up and doing. A lot of achievements were recorded, a lot of achievements were made known to us, a lot of trainings.”

“As we also speak, from what Leader gave us in Congress, a lot is still being put in place to make sure that the Bonny youths, the youths of this Kingdom benefit. Look at the BYF secretariat, it’s not like it used to be. It shows that this administration has a vision.”

In consideration of the sterling achievements of the current leadership as unprecedented in BYF’s recent history, the Congress unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the Anthony Banigo-led CEC, commending their purposeful and impactful leadership.

The motion to pass the vote of confidence on the BYF Leader and the CEC was moved by a delegate from the Jack-Wilson Pepple House, Boma Waribor, and seconded by another delegate.

In an interview with Kristina Reports, the Leader of the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF), Anthony Banigo expressed delight in the vote of confidence passed on him and his executives, asserting that it justifies the hardwork, innovation and passion invested by the CEC since assuming office.

He noted that efforts were being sustained to source for opportunities for youths of Bonny Kingdom in terms of education, employment and entrepreneurship, commending various stakeholders both in the public and private sector whose support has ensured the CEC continues to deliver on its mandate and electioneering promises.

He also used the occasion to berate the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) for not being a good corporate citizen of Bonny Kingdom, regretting that the company’s Train 7 project has not benefitted the youths of Bonny in terms of human capital development, entrepreneurship support, or job creation.

The Youth Leader expressed sadness over the insensitivity of the NLNG, its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors; SCD JV (Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo Joint Venture), as well as other companies delivering various jobs for the NLNG, accusing them of neglecting Bonny youths and refusing to discharge their corporate social responsibility in line with extant laws of the country.   

He assured the youths of Bonny Kingdom of better days ahead, promising that the current Central Executive Council of the BYF would not relent in its efforts at reinventing the fortunes of the youths, stressing that the CEC will continue to work to justify the mandate given to it.

“Well, the outcome of the congress as expected is filled with excitement because if you look around you will see what we doing. It’s not been easy with us but within the scarce resources we have been able to put it to judicious use. That’s why smiles on the faces of our Congress members.”

“Well, it has to take us back to our core mandate where we promised our people that we are going to change a lot of things, better working conditions and also promote the image of the youth federation.”

Presenting his State of the BYF Address, Banigo pledged during the meeting that the Central Executive Council (CEC) will continue to enhance the existing BYF-sponsored training programmes while exploring avenues for empowering youth-owned Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

He highlighted that ongoing training programmes in HSE 1-3, NEBOSH Certification, and Fire Fighting are currently benefitting 28 participants, with additional sessions scheduled for November and December.

He also informed the Congress of a partnership between BYF and Multi Freight, initiated months ago, which includes both paid traineeships and certifications, explaining that under this partnership, at least three Bonny youths receive on-the-job training every quarter, informing that, so far, nine youths have completed their training, with more expected to follow.

Highpoint of the Congress session was the inauguration of members into various working committees and a strategic session in preparation for the upcoming Security Awareness Event scheduled for December 2024.