‘We’re Leaders of Today’ – Dr Ishaku

By Our Reporter

Leading Plateau Youth Council, PYF, Chairmanship aspirant, Dr. Asukudu Peter Ishaku has maintained that youths are leaders of today urging youths in Plateau state to change their thinking and stop following the deceptive popular saying that youths are the leaders of tomorrow.

Ishaku made this assertion in an interview with CityMirrorNews during his visit to ECWA Headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, on Thursday.

He charged youths to change the narrative of the popular saying within the leadership circle that, “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, which in present reality has not come to fruition because, the leaders, who have been in power for the past 30 years are still around and not willing to cede power to the present generation of youths.

The aspirant emphasised that the National President of the Youth Council of Nigeria, while celebrating the International Youth Day, had urged youths to refuse the narrative that youths are the leaders of tomorrow and that power will not be given to the youth unless they fight to take responsibility of leadership.

He said: “I will like to agree with the National President, Youth Council of Nigeria on the celebration of International Youth Day that, we are the leaders of today not the leaders of tomorrow, as we are told by the old saying.

“Anybody, who has been following the events of this country knows that, this country is alive for a change, but the youths have to know that nobody will hand over to them. It is you, we the youths, who will fight to take over responsibility”.

While commenting on his ambition to lead PYC, Dr. Ishaku, said, “With my little experience and my preparedness for life, I feel I have something to offer the youths of Plateau State. I know that I can help them redirect their energies.

“I feel hard work is not in the agenda for our youths today. If you must achieve success, hard work is one of the principles you must build in your life. If Given the opportunity, I have a lot to do to inspire the Plateau Youth, so that we can change the existing narrative.

“So, the youth have to be educated to know their political strength that, with the number we have, we can produce not just the governor of Plateau State, but the President of the country, with good and positive orientation.

“We must therefore begin to learn to think independently and act independently!

Ishaku added that it was his desire “if I am allowed or given the opportunity to occupy this office, by the time I would be leaving in 2023, I would be leaving behind Plateau Youths who are well-directed and perhaps prepared to make serious impact in the 2023 general election.”

The election of the new leadership into the Plateau Youth Council has not been fixed, however, aspirants have shown interest in contesting the election.