A non-partisan leadership development advocacy organization, the Not Too Young To Perform (NTYTP) has called on the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to be mindful of the campaign promises they made and rode on to occupy the coveted seat of power in the choice of the next National Chairman of the party.
This call was made in a statement issued and personally signed by the National Coordinator of the youth leadership development advocacy movement, Comrade James Ezema and made available to journalists in Abuja.
He argued that ‘as a group that advocates for exceptional performance in governance, the best and incorruptible young Nigerians with capacity should be given the opportunity to produce the next chairman of the APC’.
According to the Group, Nigerians were triggered and convinced in the choice of President Muhammadu Buhari for his incorruptible stance, which the APC put before Nigerians in 2015 general elections, adding that the fight against corruption must begin with electing a young, incorruptible candidate as the party’s national chairman.
“Without any ambiguity, Nigerians came out to support President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 simply because of his avowed clean and unblemished record and up till date no case or cases of corruption have been traced to his person.
“This is not to say that some of his cabinet members or his appointees maintain this same record. But, the fact remains that, nobody has been able to trace any case of corruption to him as a person.”
Comrade Ezema added that, ‘it becomes incumbent on President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and other critical stakeholders in the party to take into cognizance the records of who becomes the next National Chairman of the APC as well as other National Executives’.
All eyes are on Mr. President to make his word his bond in the fight against corruption in Nigeria by ensuring that the incoming state and national leaders of the party do not have the baggage of corruption hanging over them..
The leadership of the group noted that Not Too Young To Perform is not unaware of the aspirants that have indicated interest in contesting the top position of the APC, stating that ‘It will therefore be counterproductive, if the President is waging a decisive war against corruption and still deems it fit to support candidates that are still answering questions with the anti-graft agencies in the country’.
Comrade Ezema maintained that the stakeholders in the APC should take an interest in who becomes what, for any given position as ‘Nigerians are becoming wiser by the day – and they are watching’.
The NTYTP equally advocated for more places for Nigerian youths in the scheme of things in all political parties, adding that Nigerian youths are very promising and are recording groundbreaking feats in their respective callings at home and in the diaspora.
He emphasized that the Nigerian youth is ready to take the mantle of leadership not by rascality or violence but intellectually through uncommon ideas and innovations that can ‘make good things happen in our dear country’.
It would be recalled that Nigerian government has characterised youth as ambitious, enthusiastic, energetic and promising.
The NTYTP then insisted that ‘if youths are not allowed to bring new ideas, innovation and the technical-know-how to bear; how are they going to contribute their quota to the growth and development of Nigeria?’
He said that youth population should not be considered vulnerable in the society, with youth making up about 53% of Nigeria’s population, insisting that they should be given a place in both appointive and elective positions so as to add value to governance.
NTYTP, with chapters in the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT) is empowering younger leaders and building their capacity as alternatives to the older generation of politicians who are seen as having failed to fix the country.
