A national body under the umbrella of the National Youth Alliance,  a gathering of awakened youths who believe that it is time to step into the big shoes and steer Nigeria to the path of progress,  development and emancipation with fresh ideas backed with energy to achieve greatness,  has urged the older generation of leaders who has done their best to step aside,  hand over the baton and let the youths finish the race to restore Nigeria’s glory.

This was contained in a hearty statement singed by the President of NYA,  Ambassador Bin Abbas and forwarded to OHAFIATV News on Thursday.  The group is a conglomerate of Nigerian youths which has nothing to do with party or any candidate. it’s a collective idea from aggrieved and angry young Nigerians from APC, PDP, Labour Party,  NNPP,  etc.

The statement read in full:

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to share with you my reflections on a matter that weighs heavily on my heart—the state of leadership in our beloved Nigeria.

You see, Nigeria, with all its abundance of human and natural resources, remains trapped in a cycle of underdevelopment and stagnation. And why is that? It’s because our elders, our forefathers, have clung desperately to power, refusing to pass the baton of leadership to the next generation.

I look back at history, and I see leaders like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay, who took the reins of leadership in their 20s and 30s. They were young, vibrant, and full of promise, and they paved the way for progress in our nation. But now, as we stand on the precipice of the future, our youth are still relegated to the sidelines, mere followers in a game they were promised to lead.

It’s like a relay race, you see. Life is like that relay race. We have to pass the baton to the next runner, to propel us forward toward the finish line—the future. But our elders, they hold onto that baton with white-knuckled fists, afraid to let go, afraid to trust the youth to carry it forward.

And what is the result of this fear, this reluctance to embrace change? It’s a Nigeria where the brightest minds flee to foreign shores in search of opportunity, leaving behind a country mired in poverty and strife. It’s a Nigeria where the promise of a better tomorrow remains just that—a promise, unfulfilled and fading.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. No, it’s time for a change. It’s time for our elders to loosen their grip on power and pass the baton to the youth—the leaders of today, not just tomorrow. We are ready, we are capable, and we are eager to take up the challenge of building a better Nigeria.

So, to my fellow Nigerians, to the elders who hold the keys to our nation’s future, I say this: Trust us. Believe in us. And together, let’s forge a path forward toward a brighter tomorrow, where the labor of our heroes past shall never be in vain.

Ambassador Bin Abbas.
President,  National Youth Alliance.