The Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) has described the election of 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron, who has won the French presidential election, as a welcome development worthy of emulation in Nigeria.
The president of the group, Gambo Gujungu, in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, said the French example where a young man won the presidency, confirmed the call by AYF for youth inclusiveness in governance in Nigeria.
The statement said: “The election of the youngest president of France has sent messages around the world and most especially in Africa and Nigeria, where the elderly ones have held the leadership of the country by the jugular.
“This is coming at a time when the AYF has been canvassing for youth inclusiveness in the affairs of the country. We are therefore calling on all political parties in the country to allow some elective positions to the youth.
“We would no longer be comfortable or tolerate a situation where 68 year olds are being elected as youth leaders of political parties.
“We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to always consider youth in his appointments to serve as veritable platform for training them to take leadership positions in the future,” the statement said.
