2022 IWD: Stakeholders ask youths to rethink Nigerian before political party

Stakeholders at Motivating African Youths Initiative (MAY-I) a PAN African youth & Women empowerment network, on Friday, called on youths to rethink that they are Nigerian before being partisan.

The stakeholders who spoke at the press briefing in Abuja, to commemorate the 2022 International Youth Day, with the theme: “International solidarity: Creating a world for ages”.

The Founder of MAY-I, Dr Ogenna Waiter Ekwubiri, said youths are the first in Nigeria before becoming members of politics and we should have that knowledge and understanding.

She noted that the youth’s day aims to bring the challenges faced by youths to the attention of the international community and give an opportunity to celebrate and spotlight young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives.

Ogenna said: “We have lost our values as a nation just because everybody wants to get quick money mentality. We need to change that narrative because, if we do not get it right, I feel sorry for Nigeria and everyone here who doesn’t work towards getting it right, we all need to put Nigeria on path.

In his remarks, the Founder of connected development (Code), Hamzat Lawal, said as a youth, we must ensure and center our conversation about the election, mostly formed by issues and let us debate on it, let not debate social vices that make us not united.

He explained that National Cohesion and peace are very important because, without peace, there will be no sustainable development. So for me today, I call on Nigerians to note that intergenerational solidarity is first being patriotic to Nigeria.

He said: “We have all failed in our various ways. let’s take responsibility that we have failed as youths and older people who stopped the blame game and as we collect our Permanent Voters Card PVCs ahead of 2023, we will also come out and cast our ballots, because that ballot is the value we have to ensure we enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Speaking on the 2023 general election, he urged the youth to engage the candidates, said that “We must ensure that they will present our core values and as young people, we want the government that looked like us, speaks like us. We want a government that feels our pain and we want true representation, both from the local, state and national levels.

“Please let us not sell our votes and let us not allow people come and infused negativity into our elections, so no more vote buying and selling because that is the principle that truly would birth a new Nigeria that was clamouring for,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the founder of project 40 Knowledge Hub, Dr Oke Abioye, said, “I encourage every youth in Nigeria to know that we must take responsibilities, we must know that our future is in our hands and not in the hands of the older generation.

“We need to create our economy by ensuring that you take full responsibility for that little responsibility that has been given to you in your workplace or the marketplace. We need to ensure that we also contribute to the economy by creating value by bringing those ideas”.