STILL ON ATIKU'S RENUNCIATION OF HIS APC MEMBERSHIP - BY CHARLES IDEHO

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's ex Vice President (1999-2007).

"A party that does not take the youth into account is a dying party. The future belongs to young people," Atiku is quoted as having stated in his renunciation letter.

For me,  the above statement is quite alien to our polity because none of the aging politicians has ever believed in any power shift to the generation next.

But I would like to humbly concede here that coming from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's ex Vice President (1999-2007), that statement is pretty commendable. On the contrary, the statement at the same time doesn't appear to muster enough clout to pull my heart towards any plan to enter into any political romance with him as my eyes don see hwen from Nigerian politicians, past or present. 

Thus, I dare to state here that the statement is as worthless as the Zimbabwean national currency. It has the semblance of a weather-beaten old wives' tale meant only to rouse the consciousness of the Nigerian youths to believe that a Nigerian leader has at last risen from the East (North East though) who places value on their relevance in the power equation in Nigeria. Fa, fa, foul! Atiku's statement, if carefully weighed on the Nigerian-type political scale, based on the well known antecedent of the level of disdain that our leaders have for the youths, it could be trite to postulate that it has nothing to do with his love for the Nigerian youths to take leadership positions in the country. But he could very well  prove me wrong and consign my fears to the trash bin of history. That means he must prove his sincerity. And that means if he's sincere, then he should adopt a couple of Nigerian youths, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, nurture them and sponsor same to some of the highest political offices in our dear country and watch them grow. Then, and not before then would I throw my entire support as well as the support of the numerous Nigerian youths whose lives I have influenced and positively imparted behind him.

Someone please take this message to him.