Members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the APC South-West Young Stakeholders Forum, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to appoint a young person from the region as the next Minister for Youth Development.
The call follows the reshuffling of cabinet portfolios, which has now led to a vacancy in the Youth Ministry.
In a letter to the President signed by Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo and Babajide Akeredolu, chairman and co-chair of the Forum respectively, 10 nominees from the South-West were put forward.
Form the Ekiti and Ondo axis, the Forum recommended Makinde Araoye, an active member of the APC in Ekiti State; Seun Olufemi-White, a key member of the Renewed Hope youth movement and close ally of the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu; and Ayodele Olawande, the APC State Youth Leader in Ondo.
From the Osun and Oyo axis, the forum nominated Bolaji Afeez Repete, former Deputy National Youth Leader of the APC; Prince Oyekunle Oyewumi, a prince of Ogbomoso and party stakeholder from Oyo state; Titilope Ayoka Gbadamosi, an active member of the party in Oyo, who also vied for the position of Zonal Youth Leader at the last APC National Convention; and Ademola Adeyeye, a leading young member of the party in Osun.
While the Forum noted that Lagos and Ogun states already have two and three ministers each respectively, they, however, still included nominees from the axis, namely: Abdullahi Dayo Israel, the current APC National Youth Leader who, insiders say, has been actively lobbying for the position; Bayo Adenekan, a rallying point for young people in Ogun state who served as an adviser to the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his first term; and Dr. Seriki Muritala, a medical doctor and current youth leader of the APC in Lagos State.
With the separation of the youth and sports ministries, it is believed that the new minister will be tasked with building a ministry which must now focus solely on young people, as previous youth and sports ministers had concentrated mostly on sports.
The minister will also be expected to manage the strong desires of the youth demography and ensure that the administration of President Tinubu caters effectively to youth agitations.
