From: Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was booed and received unpleasant reaction from obviously angry youths who were participants at the 2017 emerging political leaders summit held, in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The youths were obviously unhappy with Osinbajo’s defence of the political decisions in the country and other achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari barely three years in office.
Osinbajo’s aide on political affairs, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, who represented him at the event, struggled to assuage the bitterness of the youths and perhaps, convince them that he was not on political campaign for the President but basically trying to highlight the obvious.
The crowd’s reactions became more unfriendly when Ojudu insisted that Nigerians would be unfair to the Federal Government and themselves, if they said Nigeria was yet to record appreciable progress under President Buhari’s administration.
He thus encouraged the youths to quit social media criticisms, and rise to the challenge of participating deeply in politics in order to champion the much expected socio-economic and political change.
Earlier, the co-chairman of the summit, Sen. Yusuf Datti-Baba, in his welcome address, had criticised what he described as the poor performance of President Buhari’s administration, particularly his inability to make significant change in the life of Nigerians as promised during the 2015 electioneering campaigns.
Sen. Datti-Baba, a member of the 7th Senate, said that the All Progressive Congress (APC), undoubtedly, took Nigerians for granted when it literally denied several “unrealistic” promises the party made to electorate.
He recalled, the position of then Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, over 30 years ago, when he said that Nigerian hospitals were ill-equipped and could not give good healthcare to Nigerians.
“Regrettably, few months ago, Muhammadu Buhari, who became civilian President in 2015, spent over three months in London hospital receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment,” he said.
A former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr, in his remarks, encouraged the gathering to hide their political sentiments and find solution to political and economic challenges that have held down the growth and development of Nigeria.
Several other speakers, including career and leadership coach, Linus Okorie; ex CBN deputy governor, Kingsley Moghalu, supported the call for a reorganise Nigeria that will give equal opportunity to all to realise their potentials.