A group – Coalition of Nigerian Youths, on Thursday, urged president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to consider appointing the Deputy National Youth Coordinator of his presidential campaign council, Dr Nicolas Felix, as one of his ministers.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued in Abuja, by the group convener, Umar Gazali, in what appears to be accentuating the proverbial ‘fastest dog, eating the fattest bone’.
Titled: “Coalition of Nigerian Youth Groups recommend Dr Nicolas Felix as nominee for ministerial appointment,” the group said it was drumming the support for him as a reminder to president-elect to fulfil his campaign promise of forming a cabinet that would accommodate active youths.
Felix, alongside National Women Leader, Betty Edu, it noted, were among the few grassroots lieutenants who stood by the former Lagos governor throughout his campaign in Edo, Rivers and other South-south states.
He was also said to be the youngest APC presidential aspirant to buy the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms to contest at the party’s primary, for the country’s number one seat, alongside Tinubu and 22 other aspirants.
The 41-year-old was also credited for being the brain behind last August’s failed parley to reunite aggrieved presidential aspirants, after Tinubu was declared winner of the party primary.
While lobbying support for him on Thursday, the coalition called on Tinubu to fulfil his campaign promise of accommodating active youths in his manifesto, by engaging Felix, in view of his track records and consistent use of modern technology to establish contacts with Nigerian youths.
The group’s statement read: “As Nigeria’s president-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to hit the ground running by submitting the list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly, immediately after his inauguration, the Coalition of Nigerian Youth group wish to state as follows: We are mindful of the fact that our president-elect is a man of wisdom and great insight.
“The need to make the right choice, by appointing a competent personality that would man the ministry, for effective service delivery can never be over emphasised in this critical moment of our nation.
“As Tinubu promised during his campaign, and well written in his manifesto, that he will appoint youths in his cabinet, the coalition of Nigerian Youth Groups which is a conglomerate of over 50 youth organisations wish to recommend the nomination of Dr Nicolas Felix as designate minister in lieu of his vast knowledge and experience in International relations and ability to mobilise and engage the Nigeria youth.
“Dr. Nicolas Felix has proven himself by emerging third, at the 2019 Presidential Election and actively boost the campaign of the president-elect as deputy national youth coordinator. He is a believer of securing the nation, to avoid having ripple effects on its economic stability.
“In view of his track records and ever readiness to employ the use of modern technology in establishing contacts and making easier, the task attached with the ministry, we are convinced that Dr Nicolas Felix is the perfect and most suitable man for the job,” the group lobbied.
