Saraki: Ministers of States Positions Will Be Occupied by Youths Under 40 in My Presidency

•Says young Nigerians have mandated him to go to field by buying his forms

•Abaribe picks governorship forms for Abia 2023

Chuks Okocha

Former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Abubakar Saraki, yesterday, pledged to reserve all the ministers of states positions for youths under 40 if elected president of the country.

Saraki, who made this pledge yesterday while receiving a youth group, Grow Nigeria Movement and young professionals, who paid N5 million and N35 million for his Expression of Interest and Presidential Nomination forms respectively, said by their action, they had simply charged him to go to the field and contest.

Speaking while receiving the two forms, Saraki said, “That is why I want to promise that if I become the President of Nigeria, all positions of Ministers of State in the cabinet will be occupied by youths.

“This is a promise that I will not fail, because I believe the ideas of the youths are needed to drive modern development efforts. And, you know from my record, that I have the boldness to implement this promise.

“Without unfolding all the plans here because we will soon formally hold a public declaration to which all of you are hereby invited, I want to once again express my happiness over this gesture. I so much appreciate it and I will not take it for granted.”

The former senate president said he was told that in buying the forms, many of the youths contributed between N200,000 and N500,000 and that the highest donor was N2m.

“This initiative and noble efforts are perhaps, unprecedented in the history of Nigerian politics, adding that, “The tradition is either for the aspirant or a group of wealthy friends to come together to purchase the nomination forms, because of the huge funds required.

“Your effort has beaten some of my friends, who have been talking about doing this for me to the mark. I appreciate this your effort far more than I would have appreciated if any of my friends has purchased the forms.”

While thanking the group, Saraki said, “My appreciation derives from the fact that your effort is essentially a genuine demonstration of your commitment, belief, patriotism, and sincerity in my ability and visions.

“You have taken money that you could have re-invested into your young businesses or spent to enjoy the various luxuries, which hardworking young people may find necessary once in a while to procure these forms.

“What you have done is a symbolic message that you are mandating me to go out to the field and work hard among all our leaders, delegates, and other stakeholders to win the PDP presidential ticket come May as well as subsequently follow up with decisive victory in the general election in February 2023.

“Looking at the diversity that all of you gathered here represent, another symbolic message I will take away is that as far as the youths are concerned, what we need to develop in Nigeria is not where people come from or what religion they subscribe to.

“It is about having the competence, determination, and patriotism to initiate good measures and have the courage of conviction to follow through with the plans.

“Your charge to me is to go there and make all Nigerians – young and old, northerners and southerners, Muslims, Christians, and people of other religions, operators in the private and public sectors, and members of different political parties – to join hands and fix Nigeria.

“With your action today, I do not have an option but to listen to the voice of the youths, who represent 62 per cent of the over 200 million Nigerians,” Saraki stated.

However, leader of the group, Abubakar Dan Musa, while speaking earlier, said, “We are not politicians and therefore, non-party members. Rather, we are young professionals and entrepreneurs, who believe in this great country, Nigeria. We are from different parts of the country. We all worship one God in different ways.

“Our world views are as diverse as this country to which we are citizens. However, we have a common agenda and common goal. We believe in Nigeria. We want Nigeria to develop. We want Nigeria to serve the interest of all Nigerians.

“Thus, after extensive deliberations, we have concluded that the situation of our country is so far from what it should be if we have the right leadership. The country is not running as a functional entity that can bring the best out of her citizens and provide the best for the generality of the people.

“We are particularly unhappy that the country is not providing the right atmosphere for the millions of its youths to serve as agents of development. Instead, many of our compatriots are being forced to go into negative activities, because the system is not encouraging them to utilise their positive potential.

“It is for these reasons that we concluded that we should not leave the process leading to the emergence of the next President of our country to only politicians. We have decided to get involved right from the pre-primary election period. We are determined to ensure that only good, solid, forward-looking, and visionary candidates emerge to vie for the February 2023 presidential elections.”

He said it was on the basis of the many boxes they had created for the next President of Nigeria to tick, that, “After an intensive search, we have found a man who ticks almost all the boxes. He is, fortunately, one of the leaders of your party, the PDP.

“He is Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON, a former President of the Nigerian Senate, former Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, former Governor of Kwara State, former Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Budget Matters, former Executive Vice Chairman of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, former members of the Vision 2020 Committee and a consummate friend of the Nigerian youths.

“We believe Dr. Saraki will lead Nigeria out of the current multi-dimensional crises. He will make the country great. We call on the leadership of the PDP to also recognise the attributes that we have seen in him. We pray that Nigerian voters will join us in electing this man as President. We are confident he will make a positive difference in our country,” the leader of the group maintained.

Meanwhile, the Senate Minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, yesterday, made good his intention to contest the 2023 governorship election in Abia state by  picking  the PDP governorship form.

Abaribe, who is currently a fourth term Senator, declared his governorship aspiration in December 2021, during a courtesy visit on the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who hails from the same Obingwa LGA with him.