A coalition of youth political
groups, including the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo youths,
Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Yoruba Youth Council and over 50 other groups
have risen in agreement and rejected President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019
presidential election.
This
development comes as leading northern groups and associations said President
Buhari’s administration has failed to meet the aspiration of northerners in a
huge blow to the President’s second term aspirations.
The
youth coalition, in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, also
stated that the Buhari-led government had failed the nation.
The
meeting was convened by the National President, National Ethnic Nationalities Leaders,
Alhaji Shettima Yerima, who also doubles as the leader of the Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum.
Chief
among their grievances include the collapse of security nationwide as herdsmen
and Boko Haram kill people from the north to other parts of the country with
reckless abandon.
In
the communiqué, they said “The present government under President Muhammadu
Buhari has failed in all ramifications and Nigerians, particularly the youths,
must begin to examine other options and review the leadership selection
process.”
The
groups said the meeting was necessitated by “concern over the deepening poverty
and restiveness among the nation’s youths due to long neglect by the
authorities.”
They
stated:
“Worried
by the recent uncertain twists in the country which are punctuated by crises
and conflicting perceptions, the leaders of Nigeria’s ethnic nationality youth
groups met in Abuja to review the state of the nation.
“It’s close to three years since the present government was
sworn in with Muhammadu Buhari as president and Nigerians, especially the
youths, are yet to feel any meaningful change.
“It’s been one challenge after the other, from stinging poverty,
to mass joblessness, to pervading insecurity, to painful fuel scarcity, to poor
power supply and to a persistent instability in the value of the naira.”
They also lamented that Boko Haram insurgents appeared to
be more emboldened with the recent abductions and intensified attacks and
killings.
The communiqué added, “We insist that the government must take
visibly serious steps towards an extensive restructuring of the country as the
only remaining available solution to the current economic and political woes.”
“We resolve to mobilise youths across all ethnic divides to work
for a more stable and guaranteed future devoid of undue manipulation by the
present crop of bankrupt elite.
“We therefore call on the youths everywhere to wake up and
participate actively in the leadership selection processes in their local
governments, states and the federation.”
Signatories to the communiqué include:
- Shettima Yerima, National
President, National Ethnic Nationalities Leadersand leader of the Arewa
Youth Consultative Forum
- Oweilaemi (President, Ijaw Youth
Council Worldwide and Ethnic Nationalities Forum of Niger Delta);
- Okechukwu Isiguzoro (Deputy
Chairman, Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders) and National President,
(Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide);
- Eric Oluwole(National Secretary
Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders and National President, Yoruba Youth
Council, et al.
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