[Mhiz Rebecca]

The Yoruba Youth Council, YYC, has frowned at the
statement by the Minister of Power, Works and
Housing, Babatunde Fashola, that President
Muhammadu Buhari will return power to the
region if they reelect him for a second term in
2019.
Fashola had while speaking at a special Town Hall
Meeting on infrastructure organised by the Ministry
of Information and Culture and the National
Orientation Agency held in Ibadan, Oyo State on
Thursday called on the people of the South West to
support Buhari’s second term bid in order to regain
power in 2013.
The YYC which is the umbrella body of the Yoruba
Youths, described the Minister’s call as absurd,
adding that President Buhari has not done well to
warrant another shot at the presidency.
This was contained in a statement signed by its
National President, Eric Oluwole, and made
available to newsmen on Friday.
The youths insisted that President Buhari had no
solution to any of the problems confronting Nigeria
as a nation.
The statement added, “Our attention has been
drawn to a vague promise by a former Governor of
Lagos State and current Minister of Works, Power
and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola during
the special town hall meeting organised by the
Ministry of Information and Culture and the
National Orientation Agency recently, advising
Yorubas especially the youths to vote for the
incumbent president Mr Muhammad Buhari in the
2019 election so as to enable power shift to the
south west in 2023.
“We observe with consternation that Mr Fashola,
who is a beneficiary of the social economic crisis
which the ruling elite has plunged the Nigerian
youths could start serving as an adviser at this
critical period if our nation’s existence.
“Having been a beneficiary of Democratic rule
since 1999, we will not forget the level of
corruption perpetrated by the Minister when he was
Governor of Lagos State as leaked by his
predecessor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on
assumption to office.
“Yoruba youths also remember with consternation,
the statements credited to Mr Fashola that
Nigeria’s power problems could be fixed in six
months, three years of his reign has the minister
in charge of power has not solved our perennial
power problems.
“We want him and his likes who are feeding
Nigerians with propaganda from the seat of power
to know that the youths have learnt from history
and will strive hard not to repeat the mistakes of
the past in our resolve to revamp the economy of
Nigeria.
“The same presidency Mr Fashola is promising
Yoruba youth in 2023 is what the current Minister
of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige promised
the South Easterners. Another attempt to perpetrate
the ethnic division of the country?
“We want to say expressly that nothing can stop our
collective resolve to ensure the restructuring of
Nigeria in order to find solutions to myriads of
problems facing our country.
“We again call on Presidential candidates who are
committed to the restructuring agenda to show
commitment by signing an agreement document to
ensure restructuring of Nigeria within six months
of their assumption to office.
“Time has come to protect our future and the
youths shall do all we can to decide the fate of the
2019 election without leaving a stone,” the
statement said.