2023: Time for younger generation to take over ― Yahaya Bello

The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has said that time is ripe for the younger generation to take over from the elders who are currently holding power at the Federal level.

Bello also said while some elders have tried their best for the country, some have also failed; hence the need for the youth to take over the affairs of the country becomes necessary.

Receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) led by its President, Mustapha Isa at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, Governor Bello said the issue of the shift to another region was borne out of ethnic sentiment and breaches the provisions of the constitution.

The governor said he had always called on youth and women to stop presenting themselves to the elders as political thugs, and allow themselves to be used against each other.

“I began to prepare for the office of the governor in 2007 after the general election. I was getting myself prepared, waiting for the opportunity to present itself, so, my level of preparedness met opportunity, then I waited for no one, rather I stroke, then God completed the rest.

“The Not Too Young to Run bill that was signed into law by the President only substantiated or buttressed what I have long demonstrated or put into practice by myself and my team.

“Our elders have tried their best; you can’t do more than your capacity, and that is natural. Our elders have really done well, at least the founded this country, fought for the unity of this country, and some of the social amenities that you are seeing today and policies were inherited from them, it is now incumbent on us the young generation, to take the country from where it is today to the next level.

“Severally, I have called on the younger generation, women to stop being used as political hallelujah boys, some of these political hallelujah boys turn to political hallelujah men today and that has been the mentality, they can’t detach themselves from it”, Bello said.

He said the Not Too Young to Run bill that was signed into law by the President substantiated his long demonstrated practice by him and his team.

He said he appreciates the elders because they have tried their best but it’s time for the younger generation to take over and lead advancement across the country.

“I think the elders have tried their best, we appreciate them but it is time to move forward. And if you look at the advancement we have all over the world today, basically, they are held by the younger generation.

“If our elders have failed us, you have equally failed by not making an attempt, you have equally failed yourself by going to those elders to collect a token.

“I appreciate our elders, some did excellently well, some tried their best but it was not good enough and some have actually failed us, but all the same, if there is no failure, you won’t be able to recognise success so if you look at their failures and we know we should have succeeded this way, it means it is another propelled force for us to succeed by acting right now.”

On power shift, the Kogi State Governor said the agitations are within the rights of the individuals but it is borne out of ethnic sentiment.

“A lot of people both in the south and the north are agitating that power should come to them, they are right because it is within their constitutional right.

“One of the greatest monsters we are confronted with today is the issue of ethnicity in this country. How can we be saying that ethnicity is our bane of development and then we are championing it at a larger course?”

The governor queried what the regions did in the areas of security and development when their kinsman was the President of the country.

“Most of these areas that are agitating for a power shift to their region have been President at one time or the other, and the question is how did the presidency in your area benefit you and eradicate insecurity, poverty and others.

“At all time we always refer to world best practices, we say that when it suits us, but when we want to pursue some narrow and myopic selfish interest, we drop world best practices and begin to talk of ethnic sentiment and in fact jettison constitutionality and that is the norm of this country and we begin to champion ethnicity.

“Nigeria today is largely divided along the ethnic or sectional line, Nigeria is largely divided along the religious line and there is insecurity, despite all the efforts of Mr President, what we need today is unity, what we need today is security, what we need today is economic prosperity and nobody will care where it comes from.

“They say democracy is a game of numbers, let the number speak, that is what is in the constitution,” he added.

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