Mazi Demian Okafor has emerged the National Youth Leader of Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, OYC.
Okafor who hails from Ebonyi state defeated 3 contestants to emerge the National Youth Leader in the peaceful election conducted at Ohanaeze Secretariat in Enugu on Thursday.
Also elected were, Jones Onwunasanya, deputy National Youth Leader, Okpala Ezechukwu National Secretary, Okechukwu Okorie Assistant Secretary, Authur Ugwu Felix National financial secretary and Chika Adiele National Publicity Secretary.
The election which was keenly contested started with accreditation of delegates from the seven Igbo speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states.
The new executive is to pilot the affairs of the youths in the main group for the next four years.
Speaking during the ceremony held at the national headquarters of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Enugu, the newly elected national youth leader, Damian Okafor, vowed to unite all Igbo youths to enable them speak with one voice, while charging youths to avoid such social vices like drug addiction, crime, violence, robbery, restiveness.
He expressed happiness with the manner Igbo leaders and governors are handling the current security situation within the region, and expressed optimism that the region would witness peace and positive development in the long run.
On what to expect from the new executive, he promised to pursue programmes that would enhance the youth intellectually and otherwise, promising that their major task would be youth cultural and value re-orientation, training, empowerment amongst others.
Spokesman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, who supervised the exercise gave kudos to the organizers, saying “I like the way they campaigned vigorously before this election.
“I’m happy that the delegates responded to the level of campaigns put into the field. That’s what I’m seeing here”.
He advised the new youth leaders to lead the youths with the vibrancy and effervescence with which they campaigned and won the election, saying that such attributes would add glamour to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Chief, Ogbonnia, who charged the new youth leadership to discharge their duties diligently urged them to support Ohanaeze National leadership in moving the Igbo nation forward