Ameen Amshi, a native of Yobe State, who was recently elected the leader of Youth Professionals under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC), is contesting the position of Youth Leader of the party in the February Convention. In this interview with BENJAMIN AGESAN, Amshi said the future which is said belongs to the youth has come. He solicited the support of party members to trust him with their votes. He also promised that his election would positively impact the youth population in his party. Excerpts:
Since you declared your intention to run for the office of national youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC); what is the response like?
The response has been surprising and very pleasing. I have had overwhelming support from my zone, but that wasn’t unexpected, my surprise has been from the acceptance I have received from outside my region. I have received endorsement and support from prominent APC leaders in the North-West, South-South, South-East and South-West. Both Muslims and Christians have expressed belief and support for my ambition, and I am very happy about the diverse nature of my support base. It flies in the face of the ethno-religious coloration of almost all the issues plaguing us as a nation and as young people.
What should youths of your party, and Nigerian youths, in general, expect from you if elected at the February 26th Convention?
Youths in the party should expect a new day when they would receive direct, a personal benefit for their role in bringing the party to power. I am not an advocate of unjust reward or inordinate gain, just like I am opposed to loyalty going unrewarded. I will do all I can to ensure that young people in the party are direct beneficiaries of the various youth-focused initiatives and interventions by the government for which they are qualified. I will use the office of Youth Leader as a customer-care station of sorts that directs issues and complaints of party youth to the government departments and agencies that can bring them relief. I will network with youth leaders at the local government and ward level to extend this service to youths in all the nooks and crannies of this nation so that young people outside Abuja and Lagos have a sense of belonging. These are just two things to expect from me if elected as National Youth Leader. I also ask that people join hands with me, that together we may unleash the fulness of Nigeria hidden in her young people. My firm and unshakable belief that the Nigerian youth is vastly underserved, underestimated, and underutilised in the Nigeria project informed my decision to run for the office of the National Youth Leader of APC to build on the commendable work done by the current leadership.
I want to help build bridges between our youth and our elders, between young citizens and their leaders, between our genders and between youths of different ethnicities, faiths, and social classes.
I want to help guide our youth within the party and in the nation at large to utilise their numbers, to coalesce their talents, aggregate their energy, navigate their differences, and ultimately unleash their power to birth the Nigeria of our dreams. I strongly believe that the diverse nature of my support base in the race will give me victory.
There is much more, but I would rather keep those ones for now till after I win.
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There are still doubts about APC convention holding in February. What is the situation as we speak?
That’s a tough question. All I can say is that I will submit to the supremacy of the party; hope for the best and trust that the leadership will do what’s best for the party at the end of the day.
You have been elected leader of the APC Youths Professional; what is it all about?
APC Youth Professionals is a group of APC members who are also professionals in various fields outside partisan politics. Some of us are doctors, architects, engineers, etc. I am a Petrochemical Engineer myself as well as member of several engineering fellowships in Nigeria and the UK. Our objective is to show that politics is for everyone as it is too important to be left to only professionals. We also hope to be able to contribute to policy formulation by bringing a different perspective to bear; a view from the side of those who the policies will affect.
What is your take on the ongoing nationwide tour by the president because he has visited up to three states from Lagos to Ogun, Sokoto and Kaduna in the last few days?
I see it as a valedictory tour. This year is the APC’s and President Buhari’s year of infrastructure, the year we showcase to Nigerians what we’ve spent the last seven years cooking. Government projects in power generation, security, infrastructure, agriculture, etc, as well as private sector achievements that this government has facilitated by providing an enabling environment, such as Dangote and BUA Industries, INNOSON, Air Peace, etc. It is time to present our result sheet to the Nigerian people for them to grade. That’s what I think he’s doing with these trips. I hope and pray that the Nigerian people trust their own eyes and personal experiences more than political propaganda in the media and vote accordingly next year.
Finally, can you give us an overview of President Muhammadu Buhari government since he assumed office?
My view on this is simple; I personally did not expect him to perform magic. After 16 years of the PDP’s misrule and many more of military rule prior to that, it was never going to be possible to place Nigeria on the right path in just four or eight years. I hoped he would reverse state-sanctioned corruption, and that has been achieved. Boko Haram has been degraded and even the new threat of ISWAP has been met and more than matched. Infrastructure speaks for itself as does agriculture and the services sector, all of which have almost pushed the petroleum industry to a point where it is no longer the main driver of our economy. Many Nigerians had unrealistic expectations of him as a democratically elected president, hampered by an unscrupulous political opposition and compromised civil society. For me, it has been a resounding success, given our unique situation.
