Rachel Wuese Tyona, a Benue State based youth advocate and a consultant on youth development, is the Founder and Executive Director, Ngodoo Development Initiative. In this interview, Tyona, the first Female Speaker of the Benue State Youth Parliament and former Vice Chairperson, Confederation of State Youth Parliament Speakers in Nigeria, speaks to EJIKEME OMENAZU on her vision for youths, especially the Girl-Child and achievements of the Youth Parliaments in Nigeria, among other issues. Excerpt:
Could you briefly tell us about yourself, your early life and your antecedence?
I was born in Adamawa State and the first child out of two, but I spent most of my childhood and my developmental years in Benue State with my parents. Growing up as a child, I had a very stable environment to grow and I had supportive parents. So, I did not know what gender roles were because we had a lot of cousins in our home and we all did the same chores. I had my primary school education at Benue State University Staff School and I proceeded to Bristow Secondary School, Gboko in 2009. I studied human physiology at Benue State University. Growing up, I took up responsibilities because I was a first child, but not because they were forced on me. It is something inherent in me. In the primary school, I was a prefect, leadership skills were honed in me while in secondary school. I excelled in all the leadership positions I occupied while I was in secondary school. These continued up to my university days when I was elected the National Vice President of the Students Physiological Association of Nigeria. These responsibilities honed my leadership skills into what I am today. I had a very healthy childhood and I had a family that told me I could achieve anything. So, I let myself fly.
Would you briefly talk about your NGO, Ngodoo Development Initiative (NDI) and what informed the formation?
Ngodoo Development Initiative was born from a deep yearning to bridge a gap between a girl and youth with empowerment to thrive in the future that they want. While I was having these experiences in leadership or the experiences I had in my day-to-day life, most times, I encountered young women, young people who did not know where to start from. I had young people asking me how I was doing it and at that time I did not have answers for them because I did not know how until I became the Speaker of the Benue Youth Parliament and I was able to initiate programmes to help the youth around me. Then, I asked myself how I would sustain these programmes when I leave office. That was how Ngodoo Development was born. Today, it has been three years in the struggle and I can confidently tell you that we have been impacting the lives of young girls and young people through our programmes. ‘Ngodoo’ means ‘mother’s love’ in the Tiv language. We chose that name because the mother’s love perceives everything. A mother wants to see her child grow up to be better than her, to have all the opportunities she did not have and whatever resources she has at the time she is going to put into that child’s life. That is why we chose that name. That is exactly what we are doing. We are trying to empower young people, girls, to be able to take charge of their lives, to be self-sufficient, to be able to make sure their voices are heard. When you talk about someone’s voice being heard, the person needs the opportunity, needs the platform, needs the resources for his or her voice to be heard. That is what the Ngodoo Development Initiative is all about.
Since the NDI was set up, how has it impacted positively on the lives of the people, especially the less privileged?
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The NDI has impacted several lives. From our records, we have impacted the lives of over 2,000 children, young people, and women. This started when I was the Speaker of the Parliament. We have had Girl Tech, which is in its third year. This year, I can confidently tell you that we have trained over 50 girls. We have also had interventions in the area of education, where we supported young children in rural areas of Benue State, with school materials, bags, and sandals, as well as school supplies like exercise books and stuff. That alone, we were able to get through over four, five schools in the rural areas. This went a very long way, because when we got there, some children were coming to school barefooted. But, they were really happy with the support from both parents and teachers. That impacted positively on their lives. We took this intervention to the rural areas where they are most less privileged and the success rate was impressive. We know the challenges of being a woman already. Numerous challenges; financially, most especially. We know how women can be vulnerable, especially when they are in financial difficulties. This was why we started Girl Tech. They do not need capital. So, before they could need other special gadgets, they had gotten to a particular level of earning, at least to some point, where they could afford these gadgets. At this stage, they just need their phones or laptops and internet connection to be able to acquire these skills and earn a living. We have been able to train over 100 girls, and they are doing well in their sectors. Some are doing Graphics, some are doing Photography and some are doing Content Writing, Content Creation, and all of that. It has been our success that these ladies are being self-sufficient in the skills we have learnt. While doing that, we have also been in the environmental sector, which is also one of our thematic areas. We are sensitising citizens in rural areas, educating them on the effects of climate change and how it can be mitigated. Currently, we are working on a proposal to train rural women on Smart Agriculture, and other smart ways to mitigate the effects of climate change on our communities and our rural areas.
What programmes do you intend to carry out through the NGO in the nearest future, especially in the area of your Girl TECH? What are your sources of funding for your projects?
The programmes at Ngodoo Development Initiative cut across Health, Education, Environment, and Good Governance. All these sectors empower the girl-child or the youth to thrive in their various endeavours. We have also had some interventions in Menstrual Health and Sexual Reproductive Health. Soon, we plan to upscale the Girl Tech because it has proven in the last three years to be quite impactful and quite specific. We hope to upscale next year, we have more partners to actualise these goals with. For the last three years, the funding has been personal and some well-meaning friends of the NDI have been pillars over time. God is so kind, we are now in talks with organisations willing to fund or partner because they have seen what we have done and it is quite impactful and they want to be part of it. So, soon, we are hoping that these whole programmes are upscaled and we have enough funding to be able to impact and continue impacting the lives that we are doing. With necessary support, Nigerian Youths will surely excel.
You were the Speaker of Youth Parliament. What are some of your exciting moments during the period you held the position?
Being the Speaker of the Youth Parliament was a very interesting journey for me. I was surprised at the turnout of votes I had during my elections on February 25, 2021. Throughout the journey, I made sure the cause of the youth was my focal point and I dedicated all of my time to the duties of my role as the Speaker of the Youth Parliament. As the Speaker, my responsibilities revolved around presiding over plenaries, meetings and other sessions, where we deliberated on youth issues and took necessary steps to address them while matters that needed executive backing were sent to the governor for further action. While I was the Speaker, we were able to deliberate on over 10 resolutions and three bills were passed. Today, I am proud to say that one of the bills, which was the ‘Establishment of the Benue State Youth Development Commission’, has been signed into law and undergoing the process of implementation. It was a very exciting journey for me because it was a journey where I discovered a part of me that I did not know existed. I learnt how to lobby and influence decisions and activities of the government, the governor and other stakeholders. This was something that I never thought I could do. But, God was kind to me and I was able to do that. The colleagues that I served with were very cooperative and patient. They supported me throughout my time and made the Parliament easy for me to lead. Also, I got support from people that I did not expect. That made my journey easier. I was exposed to a lot of opportunities and networks that I am still enjoying today. So, yes, it was an interesting journey and something I would want to do again and again, even though not in that particular position. Moving forward, this is what has shaped me to be a better leader today.
What are some of the achievements of the Youth Parliament, not only in Benue, but across the country?
The Youth Parliament in Nigeria was established as far back as 2008 by former President Umaru Musa Y’Adua. Now, the Nigerian Youth Parliament is in its fifth Assembly. It was created to include youth in the government’s decision-making processes and also serve as a mentoring platform for young leaders. This platform has allowed several young people to contribute their innovative ideas and fresh perspectives which have positively influenced decisions, laws, and policies across the country. Today, we have former members of the Youth Parliament as House Representatives members, members of various state Assemblies and other MDAs. I was opportune to be the Vice Chairman of the Conference of State Youth Speakers in Nigeria, an umbrella that brought all the State Youth Speakers across the country together. My colleagues and I recorded several successes as other states had only started their first Assembly at the time. The Speakers were able to make sure that the vision of the Youth Parliament was felt in their various states.
