APC Convention: Musa reels out plans for Nigerian women and youths

A frontline aspirant for the position of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sani Musa, has pledged to institutionalise and make APC a political party that will work its policies to support women and youths in both the internal working and developmental structures of the ruling party, if given the opportunity at the forthcoming National Convention.

Musa, who presently represents Niger East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, also promised to adapt to a participatory work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party that will guarantee affirmative actions.

Speaking while in an interactive session with a cross section of women and youths under the aegis of APC Youths Stakeholders Forum, Senator Musa said: “In recent times, women and youths in Nigeria have demonstrated a high level of commitment to service and an uncommon zeal as a critical stakeholders in key governance issues and decision making.”

As a frontline aspirant for the position of the National Chairman, it is important to share with you my thoughts and plans for our women and youths if given the opportunity to lead our great party.

The National Coordinators of the Forum Dr. Mariam Jibrin and Mr. Uju Kelechi, while presenting their articulated views in supporting the aspiration of Senator Musa, calls for an all inclusive party, where women and youths will have strategic roles to play within the APC.

Senator Musa while responding said, “I am fully aware of the challenges facing women and youths in Nigeria today, and the series of hurdles they have to cross in order to be heard and be given the opportunity to tap their potentials.

“Our agenda for women and youths as a party will be within the confines of the party’s formulated policies that will be proposed to the executive arm of government. Of course, as the head of the party leadership or the National Working Committee (NWC), it is imperative on us to think-outside-the-box and compliment government’s existing effort in the emancipation of women and youths in our society.

“Political parties are essential institutions of democracy and as such, I will be adaptive and committed to building capacity amongst our women and youths folks and we shall make it a policy of the party.

According to him, human capital development will be given the most needed priority based on a model similar to the one implemented by the Best Practices Institute (BPI), to ensure that APC works to deliver trainings to volunteers, party leaders and staff, women and youth organisers, candidates and campaign staff, constituency caucus members, community stakeholders and leaders, and in so doing our operational foundations will become more solid.

“This project will be one of our core programs in building and strengthening the APC structures from ward to national levels to ensure success for the party in both elections and governance.

“We are firmly aware that women and youths are the least represented amongst the political leadership. While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for signing into law the “Not-too-young-to-run bill” into law and other initiatives for youth and women participation in politics, as party, one of our strategy is to close the funding gap.”

“We will identify young men and women of impeccable character and competence, who have been accepted at the grassroots level to run for offices and support their campaign. This will ensure that the best amongst us are giving an opportunity to occupy leadership positions without lack of encouragement and financial burden that comes with such.

“If giving the opportunity to lead the APC, I will explore and initiate transfer of knowledge, a think-tank team or policy institute will be established as organ in the party with the sole purpose of performing research and advocacy findings concerning developmental initiatives such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture.

“Our belief is that, political parties should not only be a vehicle for winning elections and go into oblivion until another round of campaign starts — we’ll ensure that elected officials are given all the necessary support to succeed on their assignment.

With Senator Mohammed Sani Musa at the helms of affair, he said imposition of candidates during primaries will be a thing of the past and there will give a level playing field to women of courage and ambitious youths to actualise their dreams.

He said his agenda is to unleash change of the decayed system, process and outcomes to that of modern society and state where things are better for its people.

“Women and youths will take the centre stage of our activities and as such, skill development will be on a mission mode, at an unprecedented scale in order to produce capable, confident, and well skilled human resource that will feed an expanded economy.

A reward system that is sustainable will be initiated, hard working and qualified party women and youths will be accorded first right of refusal where there are available opportunities. We’ll work with party organs to ensure women and youths get decent jobs, political weight, negotiating muscle, and real influence in decision-making. The women and youth wings of the party leadership will be empowered to contribute meaningfully to development of the society.

“Interests of the youth and women groups in the APC will be aggregated. We’ll facilitate an all-inclusive stakeholders retreat to review the state of affairs of the party, this will provide the opportunity for key stakeholders to articulate their views and make critical inputs. Challenges, lessons and recommendations learnt from it will form part of whatever working framework we will adopt as a party.

“In conclusion, my pledge to women and youths is that we will run an effective, all-inclusive and active transformational leadership that will ensure efficiency in our party administration so that everyone can have a voice and can directly benefit from our proposed numerous developmental agendas.

Once again, together we can work towards this noble ideals and put our party and candidature in reality by supporting a new voice, new direction and a fresh ideas that can move our party forward come March 26 and beyond,” he concluded.