Northern youths send strong message to IBB, Obasanjo over growing terrorism, kidnapping, killings in Nigeria

Northern youths send strong message to IBB, Obasanjo over growing terrorism, kidnapping, killings in Nigeria

A call has gone to former top Nigerian leaders to rise and save the nation from collapsing by convening a meeting to discuss and proffer workable solutions to the problems facing the nation

A group known as the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), said this on Saturday, calling on former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida to lead the discussion.

NYLF, an umbrella of 42 Arewa youth groups, also urged the likes of Theophilus Danjuma, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chief Ernest Shonekan and others to be part of the forum to save the nation from collapsing.

The National Chairman of NYLF, Elliot Afiyo, spoke with newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, shortly after meeting with Obasanjo.

Afiyo noted that banditry, kidnapping, poor economy, corruption, agitation for secession were among the challenges facing the nation.

According to him, it was high time those he called ‘Nigerian fathers’ met and proffered lasting solutions to the Nigerian problems before it will be too late.

The northern youth leader described former President Obasanjo as an advanced citizen, who he said believed in the cooperate existence of the nation.

He recalled that the NYLF in 2015 supported the emergence of the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, saying, however that Buhari had “failed to meet up with the expectations of Nigerians.”

While saying All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks the political will to solve the many challenges confronting Nigeria, Afiyo urged Obasanjo to wade in to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a view to resolving it.

He described the PDP as the only option to save Nigeria and provide good governance for the masses, saying “it does not matter where the next President comes from.”

“We were part of the groups that brought Buhari in 2015, we thought the Buhari that we know will change things, but we realised that we have made a mistake and we have to correct the mistake. That is why I came personally to see Baba (Obasanjo) and we have discussed, he has to also be involved.

“We want him to do two things – to summon the elders, the Nigerian fathers; they have to meet, discuss and intervene to save the nation,” he stated.