Northern, southern youth leaders say Buhari’s government has failed

Youth leaders of the Nigerian Ethnic Nationalities have said the present government under President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in all ramifications.

They, therefore, charged Nigerians, particularly the youths to begin to examine other options and review the leadership selection process in the country.

In a communiqué co-signed after a meeting in Abuja yesterday, the President Arewa Youths Consultative Forum and the President of Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders, Alhaji Yerima Shetima;

President Ijaw youth council (IYC) Worldwide and Ethnic Nationalities Forum of Niger Delta, Mr. Pereotubo R. Oweilaemi; Deputy Chairman, Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders and National President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro;

National Secretary Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders and National President Yoruba Youth Council (YYC), Eric Oluwole admonished the youths to resist the temptations of being used as tools for the dirty jobs of unscrupulous politicians, religious and ethnic jingoists and merchants of hate and division.

It said the government must take visibly serious steps towards an extensive restructuring of the country as the only remaining available solution to the current economic and political woes, while it resolved to mobilize youths across all ethnic divides to work for a more stable and guaranteed future devoid of undue manipulation by the present crop of bankrupt elite.

The communiqué reads: “It’s close to three years since the present government was sworn in with Muhammadu Buhari as president and Nigerians, especially the youths, are yet to feel any meaningful change.

It hass been one challenge after the other, from stinging poverty, to mass joblessness, to pervading insecurity, to painful fuel scarcity, to poor power supply, to a persistent instability in the value of the naira.

“Nigerians have been groaning over epileptic power supply, which has crippled many businesses in spite of government promise to expand electricity generation and distribution to 40,000 MW.

The value of the naira has continued to dwindle and government annual budgets are all the time controversial and wrapped around embarrassing scandals.

There seems to be no solution from government to the intermittent fuel scarcity in the country even after a 100 per cent increase in pump prices.”

It added that while the current government boasts of focusing on curbing Boko Haram insurgency, the sect appears to be even more emboldened with the recent daring abductions and intensified attacks and killings.

The situation is heightened by an upsurge in kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery, communal conflicts that are taking heavy tolls and all forms of brigandage across the country.

It also flayed the government for failing to address the issue of unemployment, saying, “Nigerians, especially the youths are yet to witness the promise of one million new jobs made during 2015 election campaigns.