The First
Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, on Wednesday appealed to Nigerian youths to
always put the nation first and embrace peace to foster development in the
country.
Jonathan
said this while receiving various youth leaders who visited the State House in
Abuja as part of activities ahead of the National Youth Peace Concert.
The
concert is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 in Abuja.
The youth
leaders, who were led by three personalities, said they were at the Villa to
chart a course for the concert.
The three
personalities included Mike Omeri, Director-General, National Orientation
Agency (NOA), and Onyeka Onwenu, Director-General, National Women Development
Centre (NWDC).
The other
one is Jude Imagwe, the Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on
Youth and Student Affairs.
“I
invited you here today for two reasons. One of them is to work with you to make
Nigeria a better place for us to live in, and the other one is to ensure our
states, local government areas, regions and zones are peaceful.
“No one
can do it all, we need collective efforts to make Nigeria a better place to
live in. Please, put the nation first, because no other country is better than
ours,’’ the First Lady said.
She said
the concert would be a turnaround for youths as it would enlighten them on
peaceful ways to co-habit with their neighbours and thereby shun violence.
Dame
Patience Jonathan decried the ongoing killings in Borno, saying the killing of
students and other Nigerians was a dastard act as the youths are the nation’s
future hope.
“Today, I
have two children. If they get killed, life is not worth living for me. Why
will anyone therefore want to kill people’s children? No mother will like to
suffer in vain.
“Our joy
is in the youths. You are the hope of Nigeria, the hope of tomorrow. I don’t
want to lose any of you.
“Please,
be co-ordinated, and also be good ambassadors at the concert so that the
foreigners can take good news back home about us,’’ she said.
While
responding individually, Yinka Gbadebo, Usman Ibrahim, Amina Abdulone and Dauda
Abduljelil who were among speakers, spoke for the youths and also proffered
solutions to the country’s insecurity problems.
“I appeal
that your peace initiative should extend to the campuses which are the
intellectual community of the nation.
“Also,
our campuses in the North should be more secured so that our brothers and
sisters can be safe.
“I also
appeal that as you have successfully advocated for 35 per cent for women,
advocate for 20 per cent for the youths so that we can be involved in
governance and drastically reduce unemployment among us,’’ Gbadebo said.
Ibrahim,
on his part, said: “I lost a namesake the oldest son of my sister and a friend
in the Buni Yadi killings.
“The
situation is pathetic. Satanic people are killing our brothers and sisters
every day, and we need solutions fast.’’
Also,
Abdulone said: “This concert is coming at a very crucial time for the nation. I
grew up and schooled in Yobe, but when I went back there two weeks ago, I wept.
We need to help the women who bear the brunt of any conflict’’.
On his
part, Abduljelil said: “Our lives are at stake. No one understands what’s
happening. It’s not about the North East but about Nigeria. The elite have
created this monster eating deep into us.
“These
were youths who were dedicated to working for this country but someone has
polluted their minds and turned them against the system.
“We need
to reach out to our brothers and bring them back to the path of peace. I’ll
also laud the activities of the civilian JTF who are unarmed and unpaid, and
yet risk their lives daily in the quest for peace.’’
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