Stakeholders at Motivating African Youths Initiative (MAY-I) a PAN African youth & Women empowerment network on Friday, called on youths to do a rethink and note that they are Nigerian before being partisan.
The stakeholders who spoke at the press briefing in Abuja in commemoration of the International Youth Day with the theme: “International solidarity: Creating a world for ages”.
The Founder of MAY-I, Dr. Ogenna Waiter Ekwubiri, said youths are first Nigerians before politicians.
Ogenna said: “We have lost our values as a nation just because everybody have a quick money mentality. We need to change that narrative because if we do not get it right, I feel sorry for Nigeria and added that everyone need to work together to put Nigeria on the right path.
In his remarks, the Founder of connected development (Code), Hamzat Lawal, said as a youth, we must ensure and center our conversations about the election mostly formed by issues and ensure we debate on them. Let us however avoid debates on social vices that make divided.
He explained that National Cohesion and peace is very important because without peace, there will be no sustainable development. He therefore called on Nigerians to note that intergenerational solidarity is first being patriotic to Nigeria.
He said: “We have all failed in our various ways, let’s take responsibility and stop the blame game and as we collect our Permanent Voters Card PVCs ahead of 2023, we will also come out and cast our votes because that vote is the value we have to ensure we enjoy the dividends of democracy”
Speaking on the 2023 general election, he urged youths to engage the candidates. He said “We must ensure that they represent our core values as young people. We want a government that feels our pain and we want true representation, both in the local, state and national levels.
“Please let us not sell our votes and let us not allow people come and infuse negativity into the elections. No more vote buying and selling because this is the principle that would birth the new Nigeria we are clamoring for,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the founder of project 40 Knowledge Hub, Dr. Oke Abioye, said, “I encourage every youth in Nigeria to know that we must take responsibility, we must know that our future is in our hands and not in the hands of the older generation.
“We need to create our economy by ensuring that you take full responsibility for that little responsibility that has been given to you in your workplace or the marketplace. We need to ensure that we also contribute to the economy by creating value by bringing those ideas”.
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