By Patson Chilemba
UPND youths yesterday chased political advisor to the President Levy Ngoma, saying they wanted to meet the President himself to discuss various matters pertaining to youth welfare.
But UPND deputy national youth chairperson Stephen Chikota said the youths met Republican President Hakainde Hichilema on Monday and that there was to be a follow up on Tuesday, which he did not attend and whose outcome he was not aware about, as he had rushed to Mansa on Monday night to attend to his court case.
Well placed sources in the UPND, have told Daily Revelation that President Hichilema met the party youth leadership on Monday, which meeting went into the night and therefore had to be postponed to Tuesday.
However, sources, said the President did not attend yesterday’s meeting as he was busy attending to other equally pressing matters and therefore sent Ngoma to represent him, but the youths refused to meet him.
“Levy Ngoma was chased by the youths. They told him ‘we don’t want you, we want to meet the President himself’. Therefore there was no headway with regards the meeting with the President’s representative,” said the sources
When contacted for comment on why the youth leaders refused to meet Ngoma, Chikota said he did not know the outcome of yesterday’s meeting, but confirmed the meetings with the President on Monday this week and also last Thursday.
“We had fruitful meetings with the Republican President, of course on Thursday which ended a bit late, that was NMC meeting. On Monday we had fruitful meeting as well with the Republican President and other provincial youth chairpersons. I was in attendance but now on the very Monday, because the meeting ended somewhere 22hours, and I had no option because I was rushing, my court case in Mansa was supposed to be on Tuesday,” Chikota said. “So immediately after the meeting I left Lusaka to come to Mansa and what transpired yesterday because yesterday I was supposed to appear in court, though my case has been pushed to Thursday. So other meetings that could have happened, that needed to happen on Tuesday I was not available.
“Because I had to travel the whole night to rush to attend to the court case in Mansa. So I am not aware of the meeting. Of course I was aware that there was going to be a meeting (on Tuesday) but whatever transpired I haven’t yet called my chairman to find out what could have happened and what transpired.”
But put to him that the information Daily Revelation has was that the youths refused to meet Ngoma and chased him, saying they wanted to meet the President himself, Chikota said he was not privy to that information.
But asked what was discussed in the meetings with the President and if the issues he and his colleagues have been raising about youth empowerment programmes , Chikota said: “That was part of the agenda but not basically to do with that. And you know it’s the President who loves the youths, and of course he is very much concerned about our well being as youths and the youths at large. And you know being a President who always thinks about the future of others, that was one of the agendas that was tabled.
“But not of course that the meeting was called basically to do with the youths but it was one of the agendas. And as youth leaders we are satisfied with his response in regards to the youth welfare. We are very much satisfied.”
Efforts to talk to Ngoma failed as his mobile phone went unanswered, including that of national youth chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso.
