Anambra Central Senatorial Zone -Why Princess Mbakwe Deserves The Seat

By Emeka Chiaghanam

The Anambra State Town Unions Council Youth Wing, ASTUC Youth, has taken its campaign for shared values and responsible citizenship to Nnewi North Local Government Area, using Nigeria’s Independence Day to celebrate community role models and encourage young people to take a more active role in the development of their communities.

The event, held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the Nnewi North Local Government Secretariat, Nnewi, was organised in collaboration with the local government council as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.

It brought together young people, community leaders, elected officials and other stakeholders for a programme centred on citizenship, personal responsibility, community participation and the importance of positive role models.

The gathering also featured the presentation of awards to individuals identified by ASTUC Youth as examples of the values it is seeking to promote across Anambra State.

Taking the Values Message Across Anambra

For Comrade Ken Okoli, President-General of ASTUC Youth, the Nnewi North event was another step in a wider programme that began on June 19, 2026, with the aim of taking the organisation’s message directly to young people and communities across the state.

He described the Nnewi North programme as the 13th local government council where ASTUC Youth had taken its message of shared values and recognition of community role models.

Okoli said the initiative was designed to recognise people whose conduct and contribution to their communities reflected the values ASTUC Youth wanted younger people to embrace.

He said the organisation was working towards completing the programme across all 21 local government areas of Anambra State.

“This is another dimension of the normal gospel of ASTUC Youth that was started on the 19th of June 2026,” Okoli said, explaining that the organisation was using the programme to connect its values campaign with real people and communities.

He said the decision to celebrate role models at local government level was deliberate, because young people needed examples they could see around them rather than values existing only as words on paper.

Independence Day Used To Reflect On Citizenship

The programme also carried a strong Independence Day message, with Okoli using the occasion to reflect on Nigeria’s journey and the responsibilities that come with citizenship.

As part of the celebration, ASTUC Youth presented two books, I Believe in Nigeria, Volume One and Volume Two, to the Executive Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Hon. Echezona Anazodo.

The organisation also presented him with a portrait featuring the 12 core values it has adopted as part of its campaign.

For ASTUC Youth, the presentation was intended to go beyond the symbolism of an Independence Day gift. It was part of a wider effort to encourage conversations about the kind of citizenship needed to strengthen communities and, ultimately, the country.

Okoli said the organisation believed Anambra had a responsibility to contribute to a stronger Nigeria, describing its work as part of what he called the “Light of the Nation” spirit.

“We are the light of the nation. This country will work for the common good. Anambra has a role to play and we are playing it now. The light is shining here,” he said.

From Youth Participation To A Proposed Bill

Okoli also disclosed that ASTUC Youth had prepared a proposed bill centred on core values, responsibility and citizenship.

He explained that the youth organisation would not directly sponsor the bill but intended to facilitate the process by engaging a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly to take it forward.

The proposal, he said, was part of the organisation’s effort to move the values campaign beyond public events and into formal civic structures.

“We have to engage a lawmaker in the State Assembly to sponsor it,” he said.

Okoli linked the initiative to what he described as the emphasis placed on governance and values by the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

He said ASTUC Youth regarded the promotion of responsible citizenship as a collective responsibility and believed that young people had an important role to play in supporting initiatives that could improve governance and community life.

“Administration is not a one-man thing. It is a collective effort,” he said.

He added that young people involved in the initiative also saw themselves as role models and therefore had a responsibility to demonstrate the values they were encouraging others to adopt.

“We are in charge of the young people. And the young people we are in charge of, we are their role models,” Okoli said.

Anazodo: Award Is An Encouragement To Do More

Among those honoured at the event was the Executive Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Hon. Echezona Anazodo.

Receiving the award, Anazodo expressed appreciation to ASTUC Youth, describing the recognition as an encouragement to continue working for the development of Anambra State.

He said the honour carried particular meaning for him because of his longstanding connection with young people and his own experience of growing through youth participation.

“I am also part of this body. I started from the youth wing and wherever I am today, youth contributed a high percentage of it,” Anazodo said.

He said the contributions, support and sacrifices of young people had played an important part in his journey, adding that the award had given him fresh motivation to continue serving.

The council chairman also reflected on the transition from his first term into a second phase of administration, saying expectations would naturally be higher as people looked for more results.

“As the first term of my administration unwind today, people expect more,” he said.

Anazodo said his administration was prepared to “change gears” during the second term, build on what had already been achieved and seek to surpass its previous record.

He thanked ASTUC Youth for the recognition and for the confidence and encouragement shown by young people, saying the award would strengthen his determination to contribute further to the progress of the state.

Nwizu Urges Young People To Get Involved

Another award recipient was Rt. Hon. Chijoke Nwizugbe, Leader of the Nnewi North Congress of Councillors.

Nwizugbe said he was surprised by the recognition because his involvement with ASTUC Youth had never been driven by the expectation of receiving an award.

He recalled accompanying the Nnewi President-General to several meetings and participating in activities involving the youth organisation, saying he had not imagined that his participation had been noticed to the extent of earning him recognition.

“I didn't expect it because one thing is you concentrate on what you are doing without knowing that people around are noticing,” he said.

For Nwizugbe, however, the award represented more than personal recognition. He described it as an encouragement and a call to increase his involvement with ASTUC Youth and community affairs.

He also used the occasion to urge young people in Nnewi North to become more active in matters affecting their communities, politics and public life.

Nwizugbe said young people should not wait until they reached senior positions before becoming involved. Rather, he encouraged them to begin within their immediate communities and gradually take on greater responsibilities.

“I have been an advocate of youth getting involved in most of the things we do both in politics and in other areas of life,” he said.

His message reflected one of the central themes of the programme: that youth development should involve not only celebrating young people but creating opportunities for them to participate meaningfully in the decisions and activities that shape their communities.

Ileka: Leadership Requires Young People To Step Forward

Dr Chukwuebuka Paul Ileka, APGA candidate for the Anambra State House of Assembly seat for Nnewi North Constituency in the 2027 elections was another recipient, also welcomed the award and thanked ASTUC Youth for considering him worthy of the honour.

“I am very, very happy. I thank the Anambra ASTUC Youth for giving me the award. I am a youth too,” he said.

Ileka used the occasion to encourage young people to seek leadership positions at different levels rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them.

He argued that leadership ability could only be properly understood through participation and experience, encouraging young people to test themselves even when success was not guaranteed.

“I'll keep on telling them that every position we see, we have to occupy it because there is no way you can know your ability except you test it,” Ileka said.

He urged young people to start wherever an opportunity existed, including at village and community level, and use such positions to demonstrate their capacity to serve.

“Even if you fail, it doesn't really matter. What matters is experience,” he said. “Any position you see, even if it is in your village, please occupy it and once you occupy it, you show light there.”

Ileka reacting to the forthcoming election said he was confident about his chances and interpreted the recognition and support from ASTUC Youth as an encouraging development.

He said he believed strong youth support in Nnewi North would help his campaign and expressed confidence about the February 6 election.

Thanking Those Who Keep Communities Safe

As part of the Independence Day activities, Okoli also visited the Anti-Crime Unit of the Nigeria Police near the Nnewi North Local Government headquarters to appreciate the officers for their sacrifices and continued efforts to keep residents safe.

The visit added another dimension to ASTUC Youth’s message of responsible citizenship, with Okoli using the opportunity to acknowledge the often-unseen risks taken by security personnel in protecting communities.

He said security agencies were sometimes taken for granted because citizens naturally regarded protection as a basic right, without paying enough attention to the people who put their lives at risk to provide it.

“Sometimes, we neglect such people. They make a lot of sacrifices protecting us. We say the duty of government is to provide security, law and order for society, but we do not always see the sacrifices that security agencies make,” Okoli said.

According to him, the work of security personnel goes beyond the formal responsibility of maintaining law and order, as officers regularly make personal sacrifices to ensure that other people can go about their daily lives without fear.

“All we do is say, ‘It is our right to be protected.’ Those who are sacrificing their lives for us to sleep well and for us to have a secure environment, we do not appreciate them enough,” he said.

Okoli said the purpose of the visit was therefore simple: to recognise the officers and express gratitude for their service.

“So, what I came here to say is: thank you, thank you, thank you, for standing in to ensure that our people can always sleep well without fear, and that our communities can remain secure,” he said.