From Jibrin Miachi, Kaduna
Leader of Northern Youth Coalition, Comrade Shettima Yerima has announced that Nigerian youths will no longer support old brigade contesting against the interest of Nigerian youths. This he said, takes effect from the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
The youth leader announced the decision at a round-table discussion with journalists in Kaduna. Speaking the minds of the people, Yerima recalled with pains that over the years, the obedient youths are used selfishly and dumped at will with ignominy. This must not continue. Consequently, “we will not canvass for anyone other than the younger ones this time around”.
Although Yerima refused to let inquisitive journalists into the race proper for obvious reasons, he said Nigeria youths hold 2023 very dear to their hearts and so “we are looking inward as we move closer to the D-day”, stressing: “we have over the years been working for and promoting others. At least for ones, let us do it for ourselves, and now is the time. I am sure we have the strength to do it. We are tired of recycling without getting answer for our problem. So, for ones, let us do it for ourselves”.
Speaking further, the outstanding activist recalled: “in our quest for democracy in the country, we have suffered a lot of incarceration here and there” pointing out that “some of our colleagues were even shot because of our struggle.
“The likes of Antony Enahoro and Wole Soyinka are still alive, and hey are the people we received our mentorship from.
“I give thanks to God that I am still alive today to give the other story of the struggle. While some of us are in government, probably because we are not capitalist, it is impossible for us because in politics, everything has to do with capital. Until and when Nigeria realizes that capital is not enough, we need people with conscience.
“One thing is to have heart but don’t have conscience. We have a lot of people occupying political spaces without experience simply because they have godfather somewhere, and that lead to having funny people characters occupying some of these political offices.
“I am one of the people, forces in the northern part of this country today that believes in restructuring. My argument is simple that the moment we continue to manage the centre we have as it is today without decentralizing it, we will continue to produce who are not worthy occupying political office as a councilor, senator or governor simply because they have godfather or they have money to throw about.
“The moment you decentralize the centre to give regions certain autonomy or the state certain autonomy and even the communities at that point, godfather will not play major role any longer. People will have to go back to their various places to decide their fates rather than depending on one godfather from somewhere”, Yerima said.
While looking forward for the best for the country and the people of Nigeria, he said “I hope, one day this structure will be dismantled leaving the centre less attractive leading to even development for the benefit of all and sundry”, as according to him: “the likes of Sardauna, Awolowo of blessed memory could not have done what they did under this arrangement but they succeeded in doing what they did, but then it was regional government.
“To recap it all, this was not what we struggled for. The battle we fought in the past, is as good as we have-not done anything. The fact and obvious is that things are getting worse day-by-day. Things are not normal anymore”, Yerima decried.
“I used to remember”, he recalled, “what my friend, Ganiyi Adams used to tell me in the trenches. When I met him and we were discussing, after he was released by Obasanjo who arrested him in 1990s, he said we were doing what we did because we had no wi
