The Nigerian youths under the auspices of the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, the umbrella body of all the youth groups in the South East, South West, South-South, North East, North Central, and North West zones have urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint the leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Shettima Yerima, as the Minister of Youth and Development.
Vanguard reported that CONYL, after an enlarged meeting of its members, adopted Yerima as the Nigerian youths’ consensus candidate for ministerial appointment by Tinubu, adding that he has over the years proved his mettle as a detribalised Nigerian.
The group described the Yerima as a team player, a lover of his country, a philanthropist, a man of goodwill, and above all, a man with an overflowing zeal to be a blessing to his country.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Leader of CONYL who also doubles as President General of Coalition of South East Youth, Goodluck Ibem; Leader, Yoruba Youth Council, Adeyemo Adewale; Leader, North East Youth Vanguard, Junaid Abubakar, and Leader, South-South Youth Coalition, Iniobong Sampson.
The statement read, “The ministerial cabinet as presently constituted by President Ahmed Tinubu doesn’t have representatives of the Nigerian youth Constituency which in all honesty is a slap on the face of the Nigerian youths who are the future leaders of tomorrow.
“How can the Nigerian youths be leaders of tomorrow if they are not given an opportunity to do so now? Is it when they are told that they will be given the opportunity to lead? It is certainly not supposed to be so.
“We demand that the Nigerian youths should be represented in the present cabinet of President Ahmed Tinubu and we the Nigerian youths are presenting one of our own, Comrade Shettima Yerima for appointment as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian youths from all ethnic divides decided to come together to take this all-important decision because it is our destiny that is at stake here and we cannot fold our hands and do nothing.
“We therefore demand that our own Comrade Shettima Yerima be appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu in other to assuage the Nigerian youths who presently feel alienated from the Nigerian political space.”
