*As Gov Bagudu assures Tinubu has national appeal to win
*You are best marketers of APC in this election, Oshiomhole tells youths
By OLU OJO
The National Youth Leader of the Nigerian ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Dayo Israel, on Sunday, charged young members of APC to engage Nigerians on the benefits of voting for the party in the 2023 generation elections.
This task was handed to the youths at the opening of the Progressive Young Leaders Summit of the APC, holding at the International Conference Centre (ICC), in Abuja.
The Progressive Young Leaders Summit themed, “Agenda 2023 – The Nigeria that we want”, is a two-day event that, by implication, is expected to end on Monday September 19, 2022.
At the event, where the Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, was first eminent leader to arrive amidst rain Sunday morning, Hon. Israel said the APC had through its effective policies of infrastructural development, investment in agriculture, education, security, rule of law and good governance had given Nigeria a pedestal to reclaim its position as Africa’s economic and political power house.
He added that as a progressive-centered party, the APC was determined to continue on the path to national advancement by ensuring that its presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is elected in 2023 as the successor to incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC youth leader said this could only be achieved if the party’s youths mobilize in their millions nationwide to engage the Nigerian electorate on what is in store for them.
“As young people of Nigeria, we have a role and a responsibility to stand up and be counted for what is right for development, for progress, change and upward mobility for our generation,” he said.
“If you can dream it, you can achieve it. The challenge is if you do not dream it, you cannot achieve it. If we do not have the picture of the Nigeria we want to see, nothing can be achieved.
“We can complain on social media but we can only make a difference if we have a clear picture of the Nigeria we want to see,” Dayo Israel stated.
He enjoined the youths to work with their leaders across the 36 states of the federation for synergy and order to be maintained.
Also speaking at the occasion, immediate past Governor of Edo State and one time National Chairman of the APP, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, said the youths were the best marketers and canvassers of the party whose energy and drive was vital in communicating to Nigerians the party’s past achievements in the areas of agriculture, education, infrastructural development, security and good governance.
Oshiomole said the APC Youth wing must showcase the leadership qualities of its presidential hopeful Tinubu – based on his qualities of courage, innovation, mentoring and national outlook.
“The Youths have huge potentials both individually and collectively to be the drivers of Nigeria’s development,” he said.
“What stands APC apart from other political parties is its progressive ideology centered on welfarism. We care for the elderly, women, and children across Nigeria.
“We are addressing insecurity particularly in the North-East, empowered millions of Nigerian farmers, fed millions of children across public schools, paid salaries of serving and retired public workers across the federation irrespective of party affiliation, driven the nation’s railway expansion through the Itakpe-Warri line, Lagos-Ibadan line, Abuja-Kaduna rail and lots more,” Oshiomole enthused.
The former labour leader said with Tinubu’s success story in Lagos, Nigeria would be in safe, assured hands if the two-time former governor was elected.
In his own remarks, the Kebbi State Governor, Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, said the APC would ensure that its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, wins in 2023 because he is a difference maker.
Bagudu said Tinubu has national appeal that would ensure every section of the country was carried along when the party retained federal power.
“Tinubu led a Lagos that was doing well in infrastructure, economic revival and human capacity development. He gave the young people the platform to take on the world.
“For the young progressives, they must learn from the Lagos experience. As part of their understanding, they have to appreciate that yes we want youth that will take on the world. But we also want your thinking to envelope those other youths that need to be included. That is one of the strong points of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.
