President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to bring to book every criminal element that has taken up arms against the peace of the country and its citizens.
He also pledged his administration will not spare any effort at tackling the current security challenges in the country.
He said these on Monday while declaring open the First Progressives Youth Conference of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, the President said as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, he will not spare any effort to quell the rising insecurity in the country.
According to the President, “As you are all aware, we are currently dealing with some internal security challenges and I will like to reassure you that as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, no effort will be spared in tackling them.
“As I have repeatedly said in recent weeks, every criminal element that has taken up arms against the peace of the country and its citizens will be brought to book accordingly.”
Commending the Youth wing of the party for organizing the conference, the President urged APC youth to forge a better future for the party and the country.
He advised them to cease the opportunity to put past unpleasant experiences and controversies behind them.
The President told the youth “never despair, nor relent in our joint task of nation building. Remember, we have no other country but Nigeria. It is the responsibility of every one of us to work towards the development and advancement of this country.”
He said that conscious efforts were being made to evenly spread infrastructural development, appointments and projects across all the regions of the country, insisting that the impact of his administration is felt across the country.
“So far, all the policies initiatives, projects and even appointments by this administration have been guided by equity and inclusiveness. There is actually no part of the country that has not been impacted positively in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture and economic support initiative based on peculiarities of the regions.”
The Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, reiterated that the future of the party and the country lies with the youths.
“So, we cannot afford to discard the youths in the affairs of the party. We must invest in the youths for a better future for the party and country. Therefore, this conference and theme are both strategic and timely for a prosperous future for the party and our beloved country.
“I am pleased to say that collectively, we have rescued a troubled party that was heading towards ‘imminent collapse and disintegration, to a very strong, solid, reliable and ever growing political party.”
He then warned APC Youths to desist from joining the “retrogressive” elements in the country, but work towards the unity and progress of the nation.
“As the most energetic segment of the population, retrogressive elements with evil interests in causing confusion, creating and fanning hate and disunity will always rely on you to achieve such negative and unpatriotic tendencies and to destroy your future. You must resist them. You should never allow yourselves to be used as tools in the hands of these treacherous elements,” he added.
Earlier, APC National Youth Leader, Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, said the conference was organised based on the need to galvanise the progressive movement in the country.
Ahmed challenged the youths in the party not to be complacent but to use and translate their numerical strength for electoral victory for the party in the 2023 general elections.
He warned that with President Buhari out of the ballot paper in 2023, Youths of the party must rise to the emerging reality by ensuring that, “we are going to deliver this party in the future, especially in 2023, 2027 and beyond.”
In his goodwill message, former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha advised Nigerian youths to stop procrastinating.
According to him, “Nigerian youths should be focused and must rise and take their place. Power is taken not given. The life and future of the country is in your hands.”
Source: The Nation