A crowd surge disrupted the distribution of empowerment items at the Renewed Hope South-East Youth Tour on Saturday in Owerri, Imo State, as many young people attended the event organised by the City Boy Movement.
The group, however, described the two-day programme as a success, citing the strong turnout of youths, entrepreneurs, community leaders and other stakeholders from across the South-East region.
In a statement issued on Sunday, a copy obtained by The PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the movement, Emana-Amawhe, said the programme was designed to engage young Nigerians on governance and economic opportunities under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Bola Tinubu.
According to the statement, the programme began with a policy summit that brought together youth leaders, policy experts, entrepreneurs and public officials to discuss governance, enterprise development and access to finance.
The summit also examined the role of young Nigerians in driving national development and participating actively in economic growth.
“The summit created a valuable platform for dialogue, ideas exchange and engagement on opportunities available to young Nigerians to participate more actively in economic growth and nation-building,” the statement read.
The second day featured an empowerment rally attended by thousands of youths who gathered to demonstrate support for the government’s development agenda and participate in empowerment initiatives aimed at promoting youth enterprise.
However, the distribution of empowerment items experienced disruption when the excitement of the crowd increased and participants surged toward the designated distribution area.
The movement explained that the distribution exercise had commenced in an orderly manner before some participants breached barricades set up to coordinate the process.
“As the enthusiasm of the large crowd surged toward the designated distribution area, the barricades were breached, and the remaining empowerment items were accessed by members of the crowd before the structured distribution could be concluded,” Ambrose-Amawhe said.
He added that attempts by some commentators to portray the development negatively were misleading and did not reflect the overall impact of the event.
According to him, the large turnout demonstrated the strong interest of young Nigerians in empowerment initiatives and the growing support for the government’s programmes.
The City Boy Movement reaffirmed its commitment to youth engagement, empowerment programmes and grassroots participation in national development.
The group added that the response from young people in Owerri highlighted the important role youths continue to play in shaping Nigeria’s future.
The City Boy Movement is one of several youth-based support groups backing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and promoting participation in policies under the Renewed Hope agenda, which focuses on economic reforms, job creation and national development.
