From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Professionals, Mr Ameen Amshi, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari inherited many setbacks that will take years to correct.
Mr Amshi, who is running for the National Leader of the APC youth wing, said that insecurity and ’16 years of the PDP’s misrule’ are obstacles to the president’s Buhari’s efforts.
‘I personally did not expect President Buhari to perform magic. ‘After 16 years of the PDP’s misrule and many more of military rule prior to that, it was never going to be possible to place Nigeria on the right path in just 4 or 8 years. I hoped he would reverse state-sanctioned corruption and that has been achieved, ‘the youth leader said in a statement provided to reporters.
The statement continued: ‘Boko Haram has been degraded and even the new threat of ISWAP has been met and more than matched. Infrastructure speaks for itself as does agriculture and the services sector, all of which have pushed the petroleum industry to a point where it is no longer the main driver of our economy.
‘Many Nigerians had unrealistic expectations of him as a democratically-elected president, hampered by an unscrupulous political opposition, a compromised civil society. To me, it has been a resounding success, given our unique situation.
‘This year is the APC’s and President Buhari’s Year of Infrastructure, the year we showcase to Nigerians what we’ve spent the last 7 years cooking. Government projects in power generation, security, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. as well as private sector achievements that this government has facilitated by providing an enabling environment, such as Dangote and BUA Industries, INNOSON, Air Peace, etc. It is time to present our result sheet to the Nigerian people for them to grade.
‘That is what I think he is doing with these trips. I hope and pray that the Nigerian people trust their own eyes and personal experiences more than political propaganda in the media and vote accordingly next year.’
On his preparation for the February 26 contest, Amshi said: ‘I have had overwhelming support from my zone, but that wasn’t unexpected, my surprise has been from the acceptance I have received from outside my region.
‘I have received endorsement and support from prominent APC leaders in the North West, South-South, South East and South West. Both Muslims and Christians have expressed belief and support for my ambition, and I am very happy about the diverse nature of my support base. It flies in the face of the ethnoreligious colouration of almost all the issues plaguing us as a nation and as young people.
‘Youths in the party should expect a New Day. One where they receive direct, the personal benefit for their role in bringing the party to power. I am not an advocate for unjust reward or inordinate gain, just like I am opposed to loyalty going unrewarded. I will do all I can to ensure that young people in the party are direct beneficiaries of the various youth-focused initiatives and interventions by the government for which they are qualified.
‘I will use the office of Youth Leader as a customer-care station of sorts that directs issues and complaints of party youth to the government departments and agencies that can bring them relief.
‘I will network with youth leaders at the local government and ward level to extend this service to youths in the nooks and crannies of this nation so that young people outside Abuja and Lagos have a sense of belonging. These are just two things to expect from me if elected as National Youth Leader. There is much more but I will rather keep those ones till after I win.’
As to whether the APC convention will still hold in February, he said: ‘All I can say is that I will submit to the supremacy of the party, hope for the best and trust that the leadership will do what is best for the party at the end of the day.
‘Youth Professionals is a group of APC members who are also professionals in various fields outside partisan politics. Some of us are doctors, architects, engineers, etc. I am a Petrochemical Engineer myself as well as a member of several engineering fellowships in Nigerian and the UK.
‘Our objective is to show that politics is for everyone as it is too important to be left to only professionals. We also hope to be able to contribute to policy formulation by bringing a different perspective to bear; a view from the side of those whom the policies will affect.’