An activist, Deji Adeyanju, has urged young Nigerians to mobilise themselves to take over positions of power in 2023.
He said this during a live interview with PUNCH Online on Monday.
According to the Co-covener of Concerned Nigerians, Nigeria will not develop without the active participation of youths in politics.
He warned against the major political parties in the country, noting that the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, are not good presidential candidates.
Adeyanju said, “There are no messiahs anywhere, Nigeria should stop looking for a messiah. At this stage, we should not be talking about the generations of Atiku, Buhari, Tinubu.
“Atiku and Tinubu are not good presidential candidates. They are not. And if they will be sincere to themselves, they know this.
“Citizens must come together to say that we have had enough of these guys. Things must be done differently. People should register aggressively ahead of the 2023 election.”
When asked about older persons becoming the Presidents of the United States, he said, “America is working. You cannot bring the concept of America into Nigeria. Look at Joe Biden – this is someone who has dedicated his life to service. You cannot bring the American dynamics to Nigeria. America is a working system. It is a country where they have strong institutions.
“Here in Nigeria, the president is more powerful than the court, constitution. Juxtaposing the two societies will not be fair.”
He cautioned young Nigerians against being adamant to contest the presidency.
“We (young people) cannot do it by saying that we want to be president. We can start with having 30 young people in the National Assembly who are ready to make a difference,” he added.
