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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has charged youths in the country to channel their energies into political participation and “in the campaign to ensure that Nigeria works for all of us.”
This is even as he described the youths as the country’s most strategic asset’, ‘the very best of us’ and ‘our reservoir of hope and creative optimism’.
The president, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said this while declaring open a three-day maiden National Youth Conference at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, yesterday.
In a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Buhari said: “My signing into law of the Not too Young to Run bill almost three years ago opened the door for youth inclusion in our political process and by extension in governance. It is my belief that Young Nigerians should organize, mobilize and participate fully in public affairs. Your contributions are invaluable to the debate on the what sort of future we want.”
He called for unity and constructive engagement on national issues, noting that “while differences of opinion in respect of official policies is normal in liberal democracies such as ours, but out of respect for the rights and sensitivities of others, disagreement must be temperate and channelled through legally and socially acceptable means.
“Most importantly, we must keep our faith in our country and remain optimistic that it will serve as the locus for fulfilling our aspirations. Building a nation is an intergenerational endeavour. Governments can be changed in electoral cycles but the destiny of a nation is shaped across generations.”
Buhari urged young Nigerians to continue to seek the path of self-actualisation because “all that is good and great about us as a people is inherent in our youths. I know of no other set of people as obsessed with constant self-improvement as young Nigerians. At home and abroad, this drive to not just be better, but to be the best that they can be, inspires achievements that make us all very proud.”
