Place Youths In Leadership Positions, APC Youth Leader Tells Buhari.

The National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo, has asked the present administration as led by President Muhammadu Buhari to avail youths in the country an opportunity to occupy leadership positions in his government.

Jalo said that while also asking the present government to put an end to the practice of ‘use and dump of the Nigerian youth after each election’.

The APC Youth leader was speaking at a workshop organised for the APC youths by his office in collaboration with the International Republican Institute (IRI), with the theme ”the role of youths in post-election era” on Thursday in Abuja.

“There is this saying that the youth are leaders of tomorrow but in Nigeria today, the tomorrow seems endless. After all we are leaders of today not tomorrow because we have waited long enough and this tomorrow remains an elusive business” Jalo said.

While lamenting youths exclusion in leadership despite its role in the enthronement of the present administration, he advocated that the trend be corrected.

”It is my opinion that the young people be given the opportunity to serve in leadership positions especially by this government because of the role they played in ensuring victory during the last election. Yet the young people are clouded, therefore the imbalance needs to be corrected,” he said.

The aim of the workshop, youth leader said, was to find solutions on how youths can leave the realm of ”active spectators to active players”.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalong, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, John Pofi, charged youths to shun negative practices while embracing peace and engage in positive criticisms.

”I urge the youth to maintain peace, be more creative, engage in positive criticisms to ensure the government succeeds. Put your hands on deck, contribute your quota instead of engaging in militancy, terrorism and come up with a policy to drive the country forward.” he said.

While delivering his papers, the National Auditor of the party, Chief George Moghalu, admitted that his generation had failed the youth. My generation has in many ways failed to do the right thing, we forgot that society is a continuum and the decisions we take each day affect not only those of us living, but generations that come after us”

”For all these and more, I apologise from the bottom of my heart say of many things that they cannot be forgiven but it is from forgives that we can forget the sins of the past”.

Moghalu expressed worry that most Nigerian youths were not prepared to take up the leadership positions.

“I must also confess that I am worried about certain things. I am disturbed by the knowledge that as there are many of you here gathered, there are many more others who are at this very moment being subjected to the dangerous manipulations of religious extremists, of mercantile politicians and purposeless agitators.

“I am disturbed by the fact that as eager as many of you are to be agents of positive change and irreversible progress in a tumultuous world, you are also in many ways woefully unprepared for the challenges of leadership, the tests of character that will confront you as you step forward to inherit the mantle of leadership that must inevitably pass from one generation to another”.

Declaring the workshop open, the Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, represented at the event by the party’s Director of Administration, Alhaji Abdullahi Gashua urged the youth not to act in isolation, as the major thing the needed by youths was a change of mindset.

”The role of the youth cannot be in isolation but should be a synergy. It is not about seeking appointments but a change of mindset. How the youths tap from their experience is important.

”Come out with a blueprint with meaningful suggestions, views to reposition the party to maintain, sustain the goodwill the party enjoys,” he stated.