Ahead of the local government council elections slated for February 2021, the Nasarawa State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), had cautioned youths against compromising their rights.
Malam Umar Rabiu, Acting Chairman of the group, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Keffi, particularly warned the youths against accepting bribes from politicians.
He urged them to shun bribery and remain determined to protect their rights by insisting that only those fit for positions were given the opportunity to serve.
Rabiu regretted the rising interest in money-induced politics among youths, describing the situation as “appalling and discouraging”.
“The preparations for the local government elections is gaining momentum; we must be focused on electing credible people. We must avoid the temptation to receive bribe so as to close our eyes to the right thing.
“Politicians should also be more interested in winning elections through their popularity. It is a sign of unpopularity and weakness to deceive the people with money,” he said.
Rabiu further called on political parties to ensure internal democracy in the process of choosing candidates that would contest election.
The NCYN official called on government to evolve ways of dealing with politicians who indulged in bribery to win votes.
He said that the youths must leverage on their voting strength to participate in politics and governance in the interest of the society.
“The Nigerian political environment is filled with many factors that hinder youths participation in politics. There is need for laws enabling youths participation in governance.
“As youths, we should help ourselves. We must rise up and run for political offices. We cannot continue to wait for old people to give us the opportunity,” he said. (NAN)