2027: Northern, southern youths urge unity

Convener of the National Youth Alliance, Aliyu bin Abbas. | Credit: Google

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Youths from the northern and southern parts of the country on Saturday converged in Kaduna, where they signed a peace accord aimed at promoting national unity and forging a common front to enhance their relevance in the country’s political and economic development.

The meeting, held at Arewa House, Kaduna, was organised by the National Youth Alliance and brought together youth representatives from the South-East, South-South, and South-West, alongside their counterparts from the North.

The youths signed the peace accord, christened “The Birthing of a New Nigeria,” pledging to eschew ethnic and religious divisions and speak with one voice in the interest of national cohesion and democratic stability ahead of the 2027 elections.

In his welcome address, the Vice Chairman of NYA (North), Abubakar Mohammed-General, lamented what he described as decades of manipulation of youths by political elites for selfish ends.

According to him, youths have for too long been divided along ethnic and religious lines through misinformation and deliberate falsehoods, making them instruments of conflict rather than partners in development.

“For decades, politicians and elites have been using us to gain power and political relevance. They divided us along religious and ethnic lines. So much fake news and misinformation were dished out so that we would continue to see ourselves as sworn enemies,” General said.

Speaking on behalf of the southern delegates, the Vice Chairman of NYA (South), Meshack Onyeche, declared that the country’s unity was non-negotiable, insisting that young people across the country had resolved to reject divisive narratives.

“Nigeria can never be divided. Nigeria is our country. Nobody can divide us,” Onyeche said.

He noted that youths had borne the brunt of political instability, economic hardship, and social dislocation, often being exploited to advance narrow political and economic interests.

Earlier, the Convener of the National Youth Alliance, Aliyu bin Abbas, recounted the evolution of the group, noting that it initially sought registration as a political party but was denied by the Independent National Electoral Commission under its then leadership.

“Instead of being defeated, we continued our programmes and eventually metamorphosed into a movement,” Abbas said.

He expressed concern over what he described as the persistent deception of youths by leaders who, he claimed, were more interested in personal and family gains than national development.

“The reality of today is that our leaders are misleading the youths for a very long time. They are only concerned about their families,” he said.

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