By Ujah Simon, kaduna
Henceforth only visionary and dynamic leadership of people not above age 70year, that will effectively deal with the nation’s security and economic challenges and ensure good governance, would be allowed to rule over Nigeria.
This was part of the resolution of the meeting of over 60 associations held in Lagos and facilitated by the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, chairman, Alhaji Yerima Shetima, among others.
A communique of the meeting made available to journalists in kaduna on Wednesday stated that participants also resolved to demand immediate revamp and urgent restructure of the nation’s security architecture as a way of guaranteeing security of lives and property and in particular safety and livelihoods of indigenous communities across Nigeria.
The communiqué of One-Day Summit of National Leaders of Socio-Political, Socio-Cultural, Professional and Broad-Based Civil Society Groups on the Current State of the Nation held In Lagos on Monday, August 24, 2020, urged young generation of Nigeria to insisted people of 70years and below as their leaders.
The summit stated that “In view of prevailing atmosphere of fears and uncertainties in the country, they are “urging the young generation of Nigerians to insist on the emergence of a visionary and dynamic leadership of people not above age 70, which will effectively deal with the nation’s security and economic challenges and ensure good governance.
Participants agreed to mobilize lawyers to initiate legal action to compel government to cease the accumulation of foreign debt without justifying the natioñ of the necessity and purpose of the loans or accounting for the previous ones.
They also resolved to pursue a process of ensuring a general review of the operational electoral regulations to accommodate a paradigm shift in the nation’s leadership selection processes.
Accordingly communique demand that Federal and State Governments should address the root causes of growing poverty and alarming unemployment rate in the country.
“To mobilize critical stakeholders and in particular youth into a vanguard of hope and national rebirth with the view to championing agenda of visionary and dynamic leadership that will imbue governance in the overall interest of the Nigeria and Nigerians;
“Concluded to call another meeting soon to set up committees on various sectors and to reach out further to all other associations in Nigeria and to Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“Consequently, the summit resolves to henceforth champion the cause of reawakening national consensus on peace, unity, democracy and national development under a broad-based umbrella to be known as National Alliance for Development, NADEV.
Earlier, the participants raised alarm over the general state of insecurity and incessant killings, which left several communities at the mercy of a murderous insurgency, and marauding killers, bandits and kidnappers escalating at unacceptable proportions, gravely endangering the peace, unity and development of the country;as a result of seemingly intractable unabated criminal activities across the country.
They observed that the mismanagement of the national economy already approaching a second recession and characterized by a disabling level of accrued and accruing debt profile; adding that despite the claims of fighting a war against corruption, “Nigeria is more corrupt today than it was in 2015 by the highly acknowledged corruption perception monitor, the Transparency Intentional.
The meeting was convened by over 60 associations which was facilitated by the Chairman, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shetima, Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Mr Adewale Adeoye, a civil rights advocate, Auwal Rafsanjani, foremost anti corruption crusader Chief Debo Adeniran, Agba Jalingo, Comrade Razak Olokooba, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Comrade Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Yoruba Global Youth Leader and President, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW)/ Secretary General, Nigerian Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders Forum(NENYLF) Barrister Dotun Hassan, President Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC), Comrade Timothy Igbifa, President, Itsekiri National Youth Council, (INYC) Weyinmi Agbateyinwo, former Vice President, Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC), Comrade Isa Tijani and Spokesperson, Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Àbdul-Azeez Suleiman.
Other groups at the meeting were Oodua Peoples Congress, (OPC), Oodua Liberation Movement, (OLM), Nigerian Human Rights Community, (NHRC), Agbekoya, Peace and Development Project, (PEDEP), Arewa Citizens Action for Change (ACAC), Northern Emancipation Network, labour movement, women groups, students and farmers associations from across the country.
