₦airaland Forum

It was Michael Crichton who said " ‎ If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree" .
Knowing what has transpired in the past will provide a glimpse of what the future might hold.


To state  that young people will play a defining role in the 2015 presidential election is to state the obvious considering the fact that they constitute majority of the voting population. 

Now let's take a look at the antecedents and credentials of the two major political parties and how young people fit into their plans


 The Peoples Democratic Party under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan at their convention  elected  30 year old Abdullahi MaiBasira to lead the youths, while their counterparts in the APC  selected a 54 year old  former House of Representative aspirant to occupy the only position traditionally reserved for young people in political Parties. In addition the party is fielding the oldest presidential aspirant, the oldest governorship aspirant, and the oldest aspirant vying for a seat in the senate , Alhaji Shaba Lafiagi of Kwara APC who turned 74 last year.

Before the Jonathan era, thousands of young and qualified Nigerians have consistently found it difficult to secure admission into Nigerian universities, lack of slots and over population  forced many schools  to turn back very qualified young Nigerians,  a situation President Goodluck Jonathan considered unacceptable.
In a bid to correct this anomaly,the President  swung into action and in one fell swoop constructed 12 brand new Universities from scratch sweeping thousands of young Nigerians into various degree programmes in the process.  He also placed food on the tables of many young people who became beneficiaries of employment from  these new universities as  academic and non academic staff. Worthy of note is the fact  that 9 of these 12 new universities are located in Northern Nigeria were the literacy rate is at its lowest.

His main challenger on the other hand did not build a single university while he held sway at Doddan barracks as Head of state. History tells us that he did not only  disband the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) he also scrapped subsidised feeding in Nigerian Universities . 

Another Fact that set president Goodluck Jonathan apart is his love for young entrepreneurs and their exceptional ideas , few months into his presidency thousands of young Nigerians received  YouWin grants , to set up and expand their businesses. 
Till date no Nigerian can point to a singular innovation or youth programme executed  under the regime of General Buhari.

When President Jonathan came to power members of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) could bearly make ends meet with the Meagre =N= 8250 they received as allowances, President Jonathan ordered an Over 100% increase in their allowances to =N= 19,500, his counterpart on the other hand is busy still justifying the cold blooded murder of youth corpers  by his supporters  in 2011.

Few years ago,  the President discovered that the private sector was not willing to hire inexperienced graduates, he lunched  a scheme where young people could obtain the requisite experience to qualify them for employment. 
This line of thought gave birth to the graduate internship scheme (GIS).
Under this scheme graduates who have completed their National youth service  are attached to a firm to gain experience while the government also pays the participant a stipend. 

The agricultural revolution that has slashed  Nigeria's food imports bill  by over 80 % is another testimony of the ability of young Nigerians if given the opportunity. The presidents confidence in the ability of the Nigerian youth has paid off with the massive involvement of youths in rice  farming which contributed greatly in cutting down our food import.
On the other hand, the opposition's presidential candidate who informed INEC in 2003 that he  had 150 cows seem not to have embraced new techniques and methods of animal breeding, this has left him with 150 cows after 11 solid years, this kind of stagnation  is not what the nation requires at a time when crude prices are at an all time low .

In 2015 thousands of young Nigerians will become proud home owners  for the very  first time in their lives,  thanks to the setting up of the National Mortgage refinance company by President Jonathan. This dream could however be short circuted in a Buhari Presidency.
A look at his  antecedents clearly points to that fact , he has a history of cancelling noble projects and never initiating any. A man who  paid 500 million US dollars for cancelling  Jakande's lagos Metro rail project instead of paying 450 million  USD to complete same does not look like a man who can lead Nigeria in the 21st century.

From Unity school rehabilitation to the setting up of Almajiri schools, from the massive engagement of young Nigerians in developmental projects to an unprecedented award of scholarship to Nigerian students, President Jonathan has shown great commitment and passion for the upliftment of young By Nigerians irrespective of religion, background or tribe.
His recent promise to implement the report of the CONFAB which adopted the 30% inclusion of young Nigerians in governance amongst many other noble recommendations is a clear sign that the President is not about to shift focus from his youth centred policies. 




http://thesheet.ng/opinion-between-president-jonathan-and-general-buhari-which-man-stands-for-the-youth-oche-joseph-otorkpa/

No decerning Young man or woman will overlook the performance of president Jonathan.

Side by side Buhari and his party stand no chance against President Jonathan

First he has no certificate

Now we realise he only got into the army with a letter from his principal
How bad can it get!

No agenda for young people

GEJ till Buhari get admission into Daura secondary school!

Aftr readin ur post...am more convince to kick gej out and. bring inn d people's general...sai buhari

kestolove95:
Aftr readin ur post...am more convince to kick gej out and. bring inn d people's general...sai buhari

May be you can tell us why?

kestolove95:
Aftr readin ur post...am more convince to kick gej out and. bring inn d people's general...sai buhari

I am verry sure you don't even have a voters card! Only a senile old man will vote a 72 yeal old fellow that has refused to improve himself!

YouthsPC0:
I am verry sure you don't even have a voters card! Only a senile old man will vote a 72 yeal old fellow that has refused to improve himself!

Lol

Ofcus we all don't need a soothsayer to reaveal to us who among these two has better plans for the youth.....GEJ has done it, he is still doing it and no doubt he will continue to do it. "to catch a monkey u need to behave like a monkey" a youth like youthful GEJ knows the minds of today's youths.

As a Nigerian youth, I do not want my Future to be looted. Say NO to Incessant Strikes, Looting, IM, bribes, man-know-man, poor educational infrastructures, No Jobs, Poor economy, Migration scam, etc.

This Valentine, it is Sai Buhari.

Yes! Jonathan stands for the youth. See the proof.