Kano Youths Equipped for Democratic Change at Gidan Yanci Fellowship Launch
By Mustapha Salisu
The Gidan Yanci Fellowship Program, a champion for democratic reforms, empowered 15 young leaders at a one-day orientation event in Kano State.
Held at the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), these passionate individuals united with a common goal targeted at Deepening Democratic Engagement and Counter Authoritarianism Through Creative Advocacy.
Program Lead of the Gidan Yanci Fellowship Project, Sadiq Muhammad Mustapha, in his remarks emphasized the program’s mission which aims at empowering young leaders to drive change by promoting human rights, democratic values, and rejecting censorship and intolerance.
He further explained that the fellowship equally equips participants with strategies to identify social issues within their communities and develop initiatives to address them.
Mustapha explained, “During the duration of the project, the youths will be expected to contribute ideas towards improving their communities and ensuring accountability and transparency in governance through democratic reforms and policy checks.”
Zulaiha Danjuma, a Gidan Yanci alumni, described the program as a platform that motivates young people to discuss issues impacting their lives, aligning with current political contexts and democratic structures in their respective communities.
Hafsat Bello Bahara, who spoke on behalf of the new cohort, expressed her gratitude and highlighted the program’s timeliness asserting that many feel alienated from the government, wanting change but unsure how.
“So when you look at this program as structured by Gidan Yanci, it gives youths the chance to understand that they too can make remarkable changes in their societies rather than waiting for people to come and change it for them” She disclosed.
Hafsat expressed optimism that if the core objectives of the program are achieved, a lot of democratic reforms will be witnessed in Kano State and Nigeria at large.
