North-east Governors have advocated for the inclusion of youth in governance even as they called on all tiers of government to reserve fifty percent of elective positions and appointments for youths and women.
The governors made this known Saturday at the Northeast PDP National Youth Summit with the theme “Youths in Governance”, held at the Multi-purpose indoor Sport Hall in Bauchi.
Speaking at the occasion which had in attendance PDP youth delegates drawn from Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe states, the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed said that for Nigeria to move forward, it must continue to recycle leaders, pointing out that the government should open new frontiers and rediscover new talents, so that the country could be governed by innovation and ingenuity, which could only be discovered in the youths.
He said: “The Nigerian youths can trust the PDP. Since 1999, I can remember clearly, that time I was a very young person, our leaders who started with the Obasanjo regime to Yar’adua regime and of course my boss, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, youths occupied political space that was unprecedented, but we are not surprised that the youths have been put at the background today.
“I am not used to denigrating anybody, but we had people that were young, the president I served, worked twenty four seven and you will see him treating all his files and attending to all his responsibilities and even appointing young people.
“The leadership recruitment was different. I did not have to know Goodluck before I was made the minister of the FCT, that is what a young President and the PDP can do for you. There was no nepotism, there was no exclusion of the youths. Nigeria was never on the brinks under the PDP. There was a political strategy and plan to ensure everyone had a shot at the leadership” he said.
Also speaking, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri who was represented by the Adamawa State Commissioner of Works, Adamu Atiku Abubakar, said that youths play a great role in economic development anywhere in the world, particularly in Nigeria where the youths represent seventy percent of the electorates.
“The youths should not be taken for granted, they must be involved in the affairs of Nigeria. As we know, the role of the youths in any government is to renew and refresh the current status of any society.The youths help in advancing technology, they assist in coming up with innovation and skills.
As I speak to you, most of us in the Adamawa state cabinet are youths, the achievements thus far in the two years administration of the history of Adamawa State are unprecedented in all sectors of the state” he said
Also, the Taraba state Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku who was represented by the PDP Chairman North-east, Dr Emmanuel Bovoa, called on the youths to stand for the truth and good governance, saying that these are qualities of good leadership which could only be found in the PDP.
He called on youths to eschew violence in their politicking and embrace peace even as he called on them to ensure that they deliver the North-east zone to the PDP so that they could continue to enjoy the dividends of the PDP government.
Speaking Earlier, the PDP National Youth Leader, Udeh Okoye, advocated for the involvement of youths in leadership, saying that PDP had been the best political party that has been producing great leaders and giving opportunities to youths to engage in politics and govern the affairs of the country.