Nigerian youths have been cautioned to be careful with politicians who delight in using them as thugs to achieve selfish interests as the 2019 general elections draw near.
Gombe state Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo, gave the charge at the weekend while declaring open the Unity Congress of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) held on the theme Youth; Uniting for National Integration and Recovery, in the state.
Represented by his Deputy, Mr. Charles Iliya, the governor also advised the youths to eschew religious, ethnic, or political violence during elections, urging them to take advantage of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill and seek elective positions rather than being used as thugs.
“I want you to be wary of politicians as elections draw near. I also challenge you to take full advantage of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill that has just been signed into law and contest for positions instead of being used as thugs,” he stressed.
The governor further called on politicians to see Nigerian youths as “reservoir of energy, which if properly harnessed, can transform into veritable tools for development,” and not as tools for election malpractices.
In his remarks, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barr Solomon Dalung, emphasised the importance of unity, saying it is only when we are united that the youths can take their rightful position in the society.
Earlier, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of NYCN, Amb. Dickson Akoh, advised the delegates to carefully elect young people that would ensure stability in the council and attract international collaborations.
Akoh lamented the inability of NYCN to hold successful convention since 2010, saying, the board under him, with the cooperation of the federal government and stakeholders, has made everything humanly possible to break the jinx, by midwifing a befitting unity congress.
