The Igbo Youth Intelligential (IYI), the umbrella group of enterprising youths of Igbo extraction at home and in the Diaspora, has endorsed the candidature of Senator Ahmed Lawan and SenatorOrji Uzor Kalu, for the posts of President of Senate and Deputy Senate President in the 9th National Assembly respectively.
In a statement signed by the National President of the group, Mr Chinedu Onyeizu, it stated that the numerous contributions in the development of the youth of this country by the duo cannot be overlooked, hence the group support for them.
“They are a strong voice in the advocacy of youth empowerment and leadership and we believe that they will use their positions as President and Deputy Senate President respectively to advance a review of policies stifling youth participation in politics in Nigeria,” the group said.
The group noted that both senators had a lot in common that stood them out as the best candidates to occupy the two exalted positions in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the group, Sen. Lawan has the requisite experience in parliamentary procedures since 1999 when he was first elected into House of Representatives.
“Dr Kalu on his part is also an experience legislator and administrator of repute and we believe that combination of the two statesmen will guarantee a better parliamentary support to the development of the youth of this country,” the statement quoted Onyeizu as saying.
The group further noted that both candidates took the issue of education of the youth seriously because of their firm belief that empowerment of the youth must necessarily take its root in developing their minds.
Lawan, the group said was committed to infrastructural development as bedrock for emergence of economic development of the county and had won the best Senator for Effective Oversight Award conferred on him by the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
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“Dr Kalu popularly known among the youths as OUK had spent his time and resources in mentoring the youth on how to be agents of positive change in the country through sponsorship of annual national youth forum.
“We see in him as a bridge builder, a leader with Pan-Nigerian sentiment, and the best replacement for the out-going Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu,” Onyeizu added.
The group reiterated that Nigeria needed leaders in the mould of Kalu at the national assembly to facilitate positive engagement of the youth in the decision making process of the country through quality contributions on the floor of the Senate.
They noted that as governor of Abia, Kalu demonstrated that education was the bedrock of moulding great minds in the society when he declared free primary and secondary education in the state while paying bursary to indigenes of the state at tertiary education level.
The Group said that Kalu reinvigorated the enterprising spirit of Abia youths adding that he also challenged and harnessed the abundance of talents of the youth in the area through football.