Arese Carrington, the widow of a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, the late Walter Carrington, has charged Nigerian youths to defend the future of the country with their votes at the forthcoming 2023 general election.
Carrington made the call at the second Ambassador Walter Carrington Annual Symposium with the theme, “Rethinking Youth Engagement for National Development” held in Lagos on Thursday.
She said, “Youth engagement is important in nation-building. Social justice, environmental justice and a better future for the youths are issues you should engage in.
“Elections are about the future. Defend the future of the country by casting your vote and becoming a participant, not a bystander. You have strength, you have character. Believe the best is yet to come. You should be involved in decisions that affect your future because the future belongs to you.”
The Lead Pastor of Trinity House Church, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, said the only choice the youths have is to vote for a presidential candidate that would represent the national interest.
He said, “The youths should have started a long time ago, especially when they seemed to get organised. They should have decided whom they wanted. They did not know how powerful they are but now they know. They should just gather themselves together and decide whom they want.
“There are 16 people that have presented themselves and we did not have much of a choice in deciding who those 16 were because they have a congress system. Out of that 16, one of them would be better than the rest. So, they should analyse the 16, evaluate them and decide whom they think is the best who can lead Nigeria right.”
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