Ageing Tinubu, other old politicians should step aside for youths to run Nigeria: Anglican Church

Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has asked ageing political leaders to step aside for the youth. Mr Ndukuba stressed that the youths are ready and are in a better position to address the challenges of their generation.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for his plan to convene a national youth conference.

Mr Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day, announced the gathering of a national youth conference, which will last for 30 days.

Mr Tinubu said the conference would be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting the nation’s young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

Mr Ndukuba gave the commendation in Abuja in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the 25th annual women’s conference titled ‘Let this Mind be in You Which Was Also in Christ’.

The primate said the current Nigerian youths, like the youths at pre-independence, were set to lead the country.

According to him, the youth confab will chart a path to address all the lingering youth demands.

The cleric, however, said that beyond the confab, ageing politicians should begin to leave the stage for the young generation. He noted that the youth comprised over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population, saying they alone know how to solve their challenges.

“They are ready, and they are the ones that can speak to their generation. They are the ones who can engage with the challenges that are coming in the future. We cannot do it for them, and we will always be there to guide them, to educate them, to correct them, to support them.

“But the way politics is done in Nigeria. It is like it goes to the highest bidder, and the young people may not have been empowered enough to be able to pay the cost that is demanded.

“So we want to encourage and assure the President of our support in this direction,” he said.

The primate pledged the support of the religious body for the government to ensure a smooth transmission of power.