Story by Osuta Yusuf.
Arua City.
5-December-2024.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) which is the ruling party in government, through their official, Ms Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale who is the Director for Finance and Administration (DFA) together with Hon Atima Lee Jackson the MP for Central Division Arua City, have on Wednesday 4-December-2024 given a beam of hope for the disgruntled Ghetto Youths in Central Division Arua City.
From recent news reports, it is said that a section of some Ghetto Youths in Arua Central Division had become insecure to both the residents and visitors who get robbed after being waylaid by some of the disgruntled Youths.
Amidst the government’s poverty alleviation programs like Youth Livelihood Program (YLP), Emyooga, and PDM which most of the Ghetto Youths have failed to benefit from, in most cases citing like of National IDs to the programs, the NRM party, through its inclusivity approach held a meeting on Wednesday in Arua City where over 50 Ghetto Youths belonging to Fire Eaters group, Manya Boys group, Jajamin group among others attended.
One of the leaders of Ghetto Youths in Arua Central Division, Mr Said Mansur aka Manu Padlock, while appreciating the leaders from the region for the efforts to help them, said, they know the roles of leaders and what they expect from them is lobbying for projects, developments and bridging the gap between them the ordinary people and the government.
Upon narrating the ugly situation during Arua Municipality MP by-election campaigns on 13-August-2018 where President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s motorcade was stoned by some of the chaotic angry Youths, Hon Atima Lee Jackson the MP for Central Division Arua City thanked the Ghetto Youths for transforming gradually from that lifestyle to now a better and humble lifestyle.
“From those years, it was very hard for someone to wear an NRM party T-shirt and walk freely in Arua City (by then Arua Municipality) without being stoned by rowdy Youths, most of whom were opposition fanatics”, Hon Atima stated as he described Opposition parties as politicians who are wasting people’s useful time.
The Central Division MP, after a thorough orientation of the Ghetto Youths in the meeting, advised them to be mobilizers of the NRM Party so that the few remaining Opposition remnants in Arua City can be converted into the ruling government party whose symbol is a “Yellow Bus”.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party’s Director for Finance and Administration, Ms. Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale who was convener of Tuesday’s meeting welcomed the Ghetto Youths into NRM and she described the party as a “Mighty Party” that welcomes and accommodates anyone and everyone regardless of their status, gender, tribe or religious affiliations.
She however told the Ghetto Youths not to blame President Museveni if in any case there could be a service delivery gap or any other challenge affecting the community as she cited weaknesses of some leaders in some areas in some parts of the region and country, who failed to meet and interact with the local people who are supposed to give to them some of their challenges that need to be addressed by the structures of government.
While urging the Youths to enroll and benefit from government programs like the Youth Livelihood Program (YLP), Emyooga, and Parish Development Model (PDM), the NRM Party’s director for finance Ms. Medina challenged the Ghetto Youths to join the fight against corruption in Local Governments, Cities, Government departments and Ministries which is derailing service delivery to the taxpayers.
In her conclusion remarks, Ms Medina advised some of the Youths who have not gotten the opportunity of Skills training programs to embrace them through the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs which has bhave built in all the regions of the Country.