Taossi, Director General of the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development, speaks on the commitment of youth to Cameroon's development and war efforts.

During his message to the youth on February 10, 2016, the Head of State, H.E Paul Biya invited youth to show patriotism. How importance is patriotism in the life of the country?      

"Everyone is responsible for all". These words of St. Exupery are the foundation of a responsible citizenship. The Head of State His Excellency Paul Biya in his message to the youth on February 10, 2016, invites young people to be patriotic in all their endeavors. This is to get young people to invest in nation building and share with others values ​​that are oriented towards the general interest.

Thus, patriotism can be defined as love for the country, the ardent desire to serve and defend its integrity, its institutions and values ​​underlying them. This is seen through the desire to defend our country against external aggressions of all forms at the cost of losing his/her life.

Today more than yesterday, this call by the Head of State seems very important to us not only for the youth, but all the people of Cameroon who are threatened by the Boko Haram sect. It is for this reason that he invited young people to seek further civic education programmes offered by the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development, notably the training of Conscripts. After the training, Conscripts are organised in civic education clubs in schools and their respective communities to pass on all the lessons acquired. It is in this capacity that he finally asked those who could benefit from this training to integrate these civic education clubs.

Patriotism obviously plays an important role in a country like ours. The Head of State himself acknowledged in his address to the youth on February 10, 2013 when he said: "......... even if we succeed in raising the standard of living of our people, even if we provide the functioning of our democratic institutions, even if we maintain peace and stability in our country, a prosperous and peaceful society we want to build will be undermined from within if these gains are not accompanied by an improvement in public morals. Therefore I urge you, you young people to adopt a responsible and exemplary moral behaviour."

How do you assess the level of patriotism among youth today?

There is a real awareness that manifests itself, but the level itself is low. The remark was made by the Head of State in his message to the youth on February 10, 2013 when he said: "The level of morality of our youth is deteriorating. Just read the heading of news items in the press to realize it."  But we are firmly committed to lower the level of immorality in accordance with our missions. This is an opportunity for us to remind that patriotism has no price. Our defense and security forces are demonstrating this in the fight against the Islamist sect Boko Haram.

Are there categories of youth where patriotism is exemplary?

As I mentioned earlier, the level of patriotism is relatively low amongst the youths. However, the Conscripts from our centers are more patriotic than ordinary youths. As you know, we train during the holidays, school and out of school youths aged 17 to 21 years for two months on civic, moral and ethical values, civil and environmental protection.

The feedback that we receive from the field indicates that these Conscripts exhibit behaviors that are far better than before their training at the Civic Service. There is a regular follow up by our services and we are satisfied with the role they play as part of the crusade against incivility in all its forms.

What are some of negative attitudes that you have observed among youth which go against republican and civic values?

The cases are legion. Just take a walk in our streets to identify some shots. You will see young people drowned in alcohol and drug consumption. You will see 4 or 5 on a motorcycle at high speed without respect for the Highway Code. There are many among them who wear conspicuously extravagant outfits exposing their bodies. There are others who have no respect for the national flag and even vis-à-vis public affairs, people who embody our institutions as well as parents or elders.

What are some of the efforts made by the government and institution like yours to promote patriotism among youth?

Efforts by the government are many. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education recently organized a civic education campaign and national integration. The evaluation of this campaign is also underway. Before this campaign, there was the international colloquium held in Yaoundé in 2011 that had among other purposes, the promotion of patriotism among the youth.

The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education Mr. Mounouna Foutsou has been multiplying, meetings with youth associations and movements precisely with the objective to develop in them the culture of patriotism which remains the foundation of our developing country. Moreover, the youth special three year plan prescribed by the Head of State whose official launching ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, 2016 in Maroua will reserve a special place for the civic education component.

At the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development, several actions are conducted. Our trainings are structured to give as well as to the Volunteers and Conscripts, patriotic and republican values ​​that are essential elements in a country's development device. In addition, we organize training sessions for capacity building for leaders of youth associations. We conduct civic education campaigns through mass media and other communication channels including posters and banners.

Last December, we delivered significant pedagogic and didactic equipment presidents of civic education clubs of High Schools, Colleges and Universities of Yaoundé. The operation will be extended in the coming days to other regions of the country.

What is the impact of your programmes which aim at promoting patriotism?

All that the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development takes as action puts patriotism as priority. As you know, we have trained since the launching of our operations in 2012, 22,OOO Volunteers across the country in the agro-pastoral and fisheries sectors and to whom we granted Government support to the tune of 1.878 billion FCFA in order to ensure their effective empowerment.

Today we are globally satisfied with the evolution of these youth groups in the field. If we  had not inculcated notions of citizenship to these youths, we would not have attained these results that are highly above average. Many young people have also used the support of the State for other purposes. At the Civic Service such cases are rare, simply because we insist during our trainings on the merits to make good use of State support.

What is the National Civic Service Agency’s plan of action for 2016 to promote civic republican values?  

 Our country welcomes in 2016 an important event namely the women African Nations Cup. It is for the Agency and in accordance with its set of specifications for this event, to ensure that Cameroon has a good face before, during and after the deadline. As such, we intend to train 10,000 volunteers who will be deployed on the various competition sites.

These volunteers will play a number of roles including the orientation, mobilization, information and cleanliness in stadia, large gathering places, crossroads and all sensitive points. For this to work, we must ensure that the volunteers are well trained in civic and patriotic values. In clear, the 10,000 volunteers will receive adequate training in civic and republican values ​​so that our guests go back with a positive image of Cameroon.

Furthermore, we intend to continue the training Conscripts and the sensitization of the populations through the media. Campaigns of public utility which was organized in 2015 with the Yaoundé urban community will be extended in other towns.

Ultimately, the Agency's action plan in 2016 attaches great importance to the promotion of civic education. Before closing my remarks I would like to recall that the fight against incivility or uncivic behavior is everyone's business. Every citizen wherever he/she is should know that incivility is an obstacle to our development. The emergence of Cameroon projected in 2035 by the Head of State goes through the construction of an exemplary Republic.