Lawmaker Tasks Youths on Leadership
Wole Ayodele in Jalingo
Former Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly and member representing Mbamga State Constituency, Mr Abel Diah has tasked Nigerian youths to take their rightful positions in the leadership of the country.
Diah, who is the vice chairman of the presidential committee on the implementation of local government and House of Assembly autonomy, gave the charge in Jalingo at a ceremony to mark his 50th birthday.
The five-term member of the State Assembly and three-term Speaker enjoined youth across the country, particularly in Taraba State to take their turn in leadership positions by preventing leaders that are already old from perpetuating themselves in leadership.
According to him, “You must take your future in your own hands by taking the bull by the horn. You must organise yourselves to take over leadership. Nobody will give you leadership except you take it.”
The lawmaker, who noted that he had spent 25 out of his 50 years on earth in leadership positions, as Councillor, local government chairman and lawmaker, maintained that leadership is not by age but capacity.
“Leadership is not by age. It’s about capacity. So, I urge you the youth and the people of Taraba to vote for competence in future elections. Don’t allow yourselves to be swayed by ethnic or religious sentiments,” he said.
He further enjoined the youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to insult elders, saying “Insulting people on the social media will not help you. Those who pay you peanuts to be insulting elders on the social media have their children schooling in the best schools across the world.
“They can never engage their children in that regard. So, you must change the narrative and stop being used as political thugs and praise singers. We must all work together to reunite Taraba, which is no longer what we used to know
“Taraba State is beyond an individual.It’s not about me or anybody. It’s about the State and all we want to see is a greater state other than what we have now.”
