Use Your Energy For Nigeria’s Development, Rhodes-Vivour Urges Youth

For Nigeria to move forward, it needs the energy of the youth, which is in abundance, but yet to be harnessed in the country, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Lagos State in the 2023 election, Chief Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said.

He made the assertion at the inauguration of 137 local government area coordinators of the South West Zone of the National Youth Alliance (NYA) yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Rhodes-Vivour, who was the chairman of the occasion, lamented that those in power in the country do not make decisions that favour the youth.

“We need the energy of the youth to move Nigeria forward. Development is supposed to reactivate it,” he said.

According to him, when you look at the Senate, the governors, the president, it’s not reflecting youth representation. That’s why they cannot make decisions that would affect or benefit you. But they will only take us seriously when we start to participate and to organise.”

lamented that those in power are borrowing money that they won’t be the ones to pay.

“They are borrowing money anyhow because they are not the ones that will have to pay the tax.

When your president is budgeting billions every year for Asteroid cleaning, you will not use Asteroid cleaning when there is no cleaning to be done,” he said.

He, therefore, asked the youth to participate actively in politics.

“Anytime I hear you are into participation, I will always support. Because I ran for Senate in the largest electoral district in Nigeria when I was 35,” he said.

In his welcome address, the President of NYA, Ambassador Aliyu Bin Abbas, said Nigerian youth have all they need to determine who wins any election.

He said that NYA, as a movement, is poised to achieve “Youth O Clock” through active participation in the country’s political process by supporting candidates who have the interests of youth at heart.

“This inauguration underscores the Alliance’s unwavering commitment to building a disciplined, organised and people-driven youth movement capable of influencing positive political, social and economic change,” he said.