National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Shettima Yerima, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerian youths will not listen to his plea to wait till 2023 before contesting for the number one position in the country.
Buhari, while signing the ‘Not Too Young to Run’ bill, had jokingly made the remark that youths should wait till 2023.
To show the youths’ readiness for 2019, Yerima told The Sun that the “strategies are already being put in place to bring up somebody who would look at Nigeria as his own constituent, where all of us will begin to see ourselves as Nigerians.”
“It is commendable that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the bill, but it is long overdue. It is also not enough to sign the bill, it must also be implemented. The youths must also rise to the occasion and work harder to take over the governance of this country.
“With or without the bill, nobody can stop any Nigerian from contesting any position in this country. The youths have to rise to the occasion. That the president said the youths should wait till after 2023 is a matter of opinion.
“There is nowhere it is stated in the constitution that Nigerian youths should not contest or should wait till after 2023. Nigerians will decide that.”
About moneybags, who dominate the political space, Yerima said: “If he (Buhari) can make it, youths can also make it. So, it is not all about money. The awareness is increasing
“Nigerians are now wiser, saying that politics is not all about money, it is about capacity to deliver and take the country to the next level.
“Moneybag politics has not taken this country anywhere, rather, we are retrogressing every day. It is high time we began to look at people based on merit, based on their capacity.
“So, it is better to encourage the younger ones to take over the leadership of this country. Money or no money, we must ensure that credible leaders are elected.
“I don’t think Nigerians want to go back to the same thing over and over again. I strongly believe Nigerian youths can do it better.”