Nigeria’s Minister of Sports and
Youths Development, Barr. Solomon Dalung, has disclosed the cause of the road
mishap which befell his convoy in Gombe on Saturday.
This was, even as, the Minister
read the riot act to those whom he described as “elements who hijacked the
National Youth Council of Nigeria” for personal enrichment, while “truncating
the vision and mission of youth agenda in Nigeria”.
Dalung was in Gombe for the
National Unity Convention of NYCN, after 10 years of inability to hold a
successful convention, but his convoy was involved in a fatal auto crash while
been received at the airport by Amb (Dr.) Dickson Akoh, Chairman of Board of
the Council.
The convoy was returning from
Gombe airport when, in Akku village, some kilometres away from the city centre,
a 406 Peugeot heading to Bauchi rammed into it and somersaulted with flames.
Brand new SUV and
another18-seater executive bus belonging to Akoh also somersaulted. Two death
and several injuries were recorded in the incident.
Briefing newsmen in Gombe, Dalung
said the driver of the 406 Peugeot “swapped off immediately he saw the convoy,
he panicked and swapped off into the right-hand side and went into the Bush.
“He manipulated his way trying to
come back to the highway but when he came this time, he crossed over and then
smashed about 2 or 3 vehicles in the convoy and the car somersaulted, went into
flames, one of our vehicles also somersaulted and we have some degrees of
injuries and also fracture. From what I was told, we lost one life instantly”.
When asked if he made any effort
to rescue the victims, the Minister said “It was only my car and one other car
that left the scene immediately, the rest of the convoy reversed back and
attended to them and moved them to the hospital and I immediately visited them
in the 2 hospitals where they are receiving treatment. As I’m talking right
now, 7 people have been discharged out of the number”.
Dalung said as a sign of respect
for the departed souls, the election would be shifted to Sunday, saying despite
the distractions and antics of those who don’t want the progress of the NYCN,
the convention would still hold in Gombe as planned.
“We will not be deterred because
we are committed to delivering credible leadership in NYCN. We will proceed”,
he said.
The Minister commended the
delegates for traveling far, “after many years of crisis which had bedevilled
the NYCN leadership, from one court order to another one, from one junior
faction to another senior one, from one caretaker committee to another sole
administration, and different forms of aberration that have truncated the
vision and mission of youth agenda in Nigeria”.
He said, “for those who believe
that the NYCN is a platform for making wealth, let me advise them, they can
join Dangote group of companies, that is where wealth is created; those of us
who think we can use the platform of NYCN to blossom our political ambitions,
let me advise you that the APC, the PDP and the other 77 political parties are
there for you, go and join one of them.
“For those of us who think we are
strong and popular and the only place we can take refuge is to surrender
ourselves to some powerful politicians who will sponsor us to continue to
truncate the vision of the youth of Nigeria, I advise you, there are so many
criminal groups, go and join one.
“And for those who believe the
youth deserve a voice and the youth of this country are the only national
assets we have, and have joined the National Youth Movement selflessly, I say
to you my fellow countrymen, God bless you”.
While assuring the delegates that
the federal government has no “preferred candidate” in the Gombe convention,
Dalung warned those who are above the “red line” (35 years) to stay clear from
the contest, urging them to also consider young women in some positions.
Meanwhile, Gombe State Governor,
Alhaji Hassan Dankwambo, has sent his condolences on behalf of the state
government, to the families of the 2 young men who lost their lives in the
Saturday crash.
Speaking Saturday at the
executive session of the convention, the Governor also promised to shoulder the
hospital bills of those injured, including officers of Peace Corps of Nigeria,
directors from Federal Ministry of Sports and Youths Development and the
outgoing President of NYCN, Comrade Mayor Enujeko, who is in a critical
condition at the hospital.
We are lawless in this country. A smelling minister of what will cause this kind of accident and still come out to address people. If you understand the kind of speed and recklessness that these politicians do on the highway...you will agree with me that this useless minister should be charged to court and jailed for man slaughter to server as a deterant to others that use sirens indiscriminately and driver recklessly while on the high way...nonsense
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