Jonathan vows to involve youths in his administration

President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to engage more Nigerian youths in his administration if he is re-elected on March 28.

Jonathan gave this promise while speaking at an interactive forum with the youths tagged, ‘#MeetThePresident” in Lagos.



Making reference to the likes of General Yakubu Gowon (retd), who became Head of State at the age of 33 and former Governor of old Rivers State, Diette-Spiff, who was governor in his late twenties, Jonathan assured the youths of his desire to regularly engage with them in fora such as this, on a variety of issues to ensure he keeps abreast of pertinent issues affecting the youths.

Answering questions on his recent visits to Baga, Mubi and other north-east states, Jonathan explained that the visits were not as a result of the imminent elections,“rather it was based on the need to visit and assess the level of performance of the armed forces following their receipt of new weapons as well as ascertain the progress made in reclaiming territories formerly occupied by Boko Haram.”

Jonathan, however, noted that the recent gains being recorded in the war against insurgency had nothing to do with the politics of electioneering, stressing that the long awaited arrival of military equipment had increased the capacity of the armed forces to deal more effectively with the insurgents.

The second phase of the event was a youth rally where a large audience of about 5,000 youths turned up to show their support for President Jonathan.

The event featured speeches from supporters of the President, such as YouWin, GIS/SUREP beneficiaries as well as 20 pilots who were trained under the GEJ administration, which included a 18-year-old pilot, the youngest ever pilot in recent time. Other speakers included Umar Nasko (39), the youngest gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 elections from Niger State as well as Abdul Maibasira (31), the youngest ever PDP Youth Leader.

The event -a lively mix of comedy, music and goodwill messages – was hosted by Bovi, Toyin Animakhu performing artistes included Sean Tizzle, Timi Dakolo, Oritsefemi ,Orezi, Nosa, Seyi Shay, Obesere among others.

#MeetThePresident was organized by PVC (for Participate, Vote, Country) – a group of Nigerian young professionals, Nigerian businessmen, entrepreneurs and civil society groups committed to
mobilizing public action for national development and youth participation in politics.

According to the organizers, the event was aimed at creating a platform for young Nigerians to interact and engage Mr. President by asking him pertinent questions on elections, economy as well as security, in a first of its kind ‘uncensored’ manner.