Rising from a two-day interactive session of the Nigerian Youth Collective Action (NYCA), participants, speakers, discussants and delegates have reached a consensus on deepening social, political and economic participation of young people through inclusion, mainstreaming and creating opportunities for them in the 2023 presidential election.
A communique issued at the end of the session signed by the director of communications, Aliyu Muhammad Sani said they recognised that Nigeria is a country with more than 70% of its population below the age of 50 years, and that the youth fuel a huge energy capable of delivering sustainable prosperity to the over 200 million Nigerians if well harnessed and rightly targeted.
It said; “Consequently, in actually promoting the principles of the Not Too Young to Run Law and the need to promote upward mobility of young people in all the spheres of leadership in our country, key decisions were taken at the session.
“That as northern youths, we condemn in strong terms, the failure of some political parties to follow the demands of Nigerian youths for a generational shift in leadership and their subsequent selection of old candidates, some close to 80 years old, for the next presidential election.
“That northern Nigerian youths will ignore, avoid, and not vote political parties that field candidates that are above 55 years of age as their presidential candidates.
“That one of the major things causing problems in this country today is because many old people are in charge of our national affairs who are not in tune with the current global governance practices, hence, the need for a young generation of leaders, come 2023.
“Northern Nigerian youths shall mobilise for support and vote parties that field only young candidates especially presidential candidates”.
The group averred that the whole essence of the Not Too Young to Run agitation and the successful passage of the bill into law was to have a generational leadership change and we applaud the commitment of the President Buhari’s administration in this regard.
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