PDP urges youth to unite, resist oppressive governance

• Demand 40% youth representation in govt

Three groups, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Grassroots Mobilisation Group, The Democrat Group (Lagos Chapter), and PDP National Youth and Student Assembly have called on young Nigerians to unite and resist corruption and oppression in governance.

The leadership of the groups made the call at a press briefing to demand reform and youth involvement in politics. The event, designed to mark Nigeria’s 61 independence anniversary, was held at the PDP Secretariat in Lagos.

Chairman, The Democrat Group, Lagos Chapter, Tomoloju Sijuade, said the youth have been denied basic amenities. He said they must arise and get involved in politics to correct wrongs in the nation’s leadership.

He said protests would not bring desired change except the youth come together to build a formidable team. “Politics is an institution or machinery of the state for performing governmental functions of providing basic amenities for citizens and foreign dwellers in a nation. But so far, in Nigeria, this has not been fully practiced because people are no longer taking responsibility. It is time for youths to get involved and take responsibility,” he said.

Sijuade alleged that the current government has implemented anti-people policies at national, state and local government levels. He urged the youth to fight for good governance through involvement in politics, saying none of the elderly politicians is ready to relinquish power to the younger generation.

“The youth need to see themselves as enigmas of social development. Our nonchalant attitude towards politics shows an authentication to bad government. The youth need to get their voter cards and register in political parties. Coming out with a political party that has no structure will make it difficult for youths to gain power, but with the structure of PDP allowing the youth to team up, it will be formidable and ensure the incumbent is taken out of government in 2023,” he said.

Also, the chairman of PDP National Youth and Student Assembly, Ayodele Israel, said Nigeria has no positive achievements to celebrate at 61. He said the country, rather, is celebrating terrorism, kidnapping, terrorism, unemployment and underemployment, inflation and insecurity.

He said the youth demand a 40 per cent affirmative action of representation in government and that every elected officeholder must give the youth deserved representation.

“The penalty for not participating in politics is that you will be led by inferior leaders. We need to come together and begin to hold public office holders accountable. They don’t have to use government-owned resources for their personal reasons. We want nothing less than 40 per cent youth representation in government,” he added.