Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo, has warned young people to be wary of politicians who delight in using them as political thugs to achieve selfish interests, as 2019 general elections draw near.

Governor Dankwambo gave the charge, Friday, in Gombe, the state capital, during the official opening ceremony of National Unity Convention of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

Represented by his Deputy, Mr. Charles Iliya, the Governor also advised the youths to eschew religious, ethnic, or political violence in the coming general elections, urging them to take advantage of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill and seek elective positions rather than being used as thugs.

“I will like to call on the youth of this great nation, to be wary of politicians who took delight in using them as political thugs to achieve their political goal, only to dump them when they achieve their aims.

“Be warned therefore, even as preparation for the 2019 elections is drawing near. I challenge you also to take full advantage of the ‘Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill’ that has just been signed into law by being contestants into various elective political positions.
“You should also eschew violence of whatever nature, be it religious, ethnic, regional or political, to enable us achieve a Sustainable National Unity and Development”, Dankwambo said.

The youthful Governor also called on political elites to start seeing Nigerian youths as “reservoir of energy, which if properly harnessed, can transform into veritable tools for development”, and not as tools for election malpractices.

On his part, the Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Barr. Solomon Dalung, acknowledged the fact that the NYCN was going to hold a successful congress since the last one in Abuja 2008, due to factions.

The Minister, who was represented by the Director, Education and Youth Development, Mrs Bakari Girei, said it is only when United, that the youths can take their rightful position in the society.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of Board of Trustees of NYCN, Amb. (Dr.) Dickson Akoh, advised the delegates to carefully elect young people that would ensure stability in the council and attract international collaborations.

Akoh lamented the inability of NYCN to hold successful convention since 2010, saying, the board under him, with the cooperation of the federal government and stakeholders, has made everything humanly possible “to break the jinx”, by midwifing a befitting unity congress billed to hold in Gombe Saturday.