Publisher and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore has called on Nigerian youths to emulate the Senegal example where a 44 years old Bassirou Faye was sworn in as the country’s new president after winning a landslide presidential election in the country.
Sowore regrets that instead of playing major roles in the nation’s democratic process, Nigerian youths prefer being aides to old politicians.
Sowore who spoke on Tuesday in an interview on Channels Television, while reacting to the swearing-in of Bassirou Faye as Senegal’s fifth president, called out the youths to emulate president Faye’s steps and begin the process of retiring the country’s old politicians for the interest of the youths.
The 44 years old Faye was sworn in on Tuesday at an exhibition centre in Diamniadio near Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
Faye defeated Amadou Ba, Senegal’s former prime minister, and won 54 percent of the votes cast in the March 24 presidential election.
Prior to the election, Faye was detained alongside Ousmane Sanko, his political mentor, who was accused of “defamation” among other offences.
They were released 10 days before the presidential election.
The AAC presidential candidate emphasized that the election of Faye has shown Nigerians the possibility of electing young and vibrant people.
He however regretted that he was yet to see the clear aspirations of young Nigerians to become the top leaders of their country.
He said, “The question is: what are our young people doing? Our young people are doing what I call ‘tag along’. They are more interested in becoming special assistants to governors or senators,” he said.
“I’m not seeing that clear aspiration of our young people to go and become the leaders of our country
“Most of the time, it is these young people who are pulling down the few young people who are courageous enough to say it is time to turn the corner.”
Sowore charged Nigerian youths to “take power”, even as he warned that power cannot be given through constitutional amendments.
