The National President of the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) Comrade Chinonso Obasi, has said the 2023 general election is an opportunity for youths to take a stand and reclaim the country.
Obasi, a former leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), made the call at the first non-elective convention of the youth group, with delegates drawn from the 774 local government areas of the country within the age bracket of between 18 and 35 years.
The former NANS leader, who lamented the myriad of problems currently confronting the country, was as a result of the “leadership gap and non-involvement of youths in policy and decision-making,” noted that one of the objectives of NYU was to ensure the inclusion of youths in governance.
He said: “In exactly 12 months’ time, another opportunity will beckon for Nigerians to elect their leaders. The 2023 general election is, therefore, an opportunity for Nigerian youths to take a stand and reclaim the country.
“The 2023 election is our time to make it or mar our chances of engendering inclusive and purposeful governance.
“Recent events have shown that the same dimensions to 2015 and 2019 are being propagated. Grandfathers are fighting for space with their grandsons because they believe that Nigerians are suicidal in their choice of leadership.
“We shall, in the next few weeks, begin an aggressive voter registration campaign such that same way Nigerian youths waved the national flag as its symbol of resistance and call for renewal during the #ENDSARS protest. Every one of our members should arm him/herself with a permanent voter’s card.
“We shall task aspiring leaders on their blueprint for addressing insecurity, hunger, lack of educational and health facilities in the country.
“We shall interface with aspiring leaders and subject them to debates and discussions aimed at bringing out the best and demarketing the old.”