Shettima Yerima, the National Leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has expressed concerns that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was once a pro-democracy activist, is no longer the same, with his role as Nigeria’s President.
According to Yerima, those who were pro-democracy activists alongside the President in the past have reservations about his current position.
The former Youth Director of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which opposed the late General Sani Abacha’s military regime in the early ’90s, mentioned that, judging by the current policies of the All Progressives Congress administration, he hopes that President Tinubu has not fallen under the influence of the traditional “Aso Rock Cabal,” as observed in the previous regime.
He expressed doubt regarding some of the President’s appointments that appear to prioritize older individuals over the youth.
“Some of us now have our reservations about the President. The Bola Tinubu that I know and that I once worked in the trenches is a totally different person now. I hope it’s not what I am thinking, and I don’t want to believe that he would be hijacked by the same characters.
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“I expect that by the coming of Tinubu, certain things would have happened where he would begin to believe in this present generation than the old men of the past who had worked with him and the same people coming back tactically behind the doors. Some of them have a lot of influence on the government. I hope that he will not allow himself to be carried away.
“He should learn from what happened to his predecessor. I hope he will be remembered positively because my prayers are that this present government that I ascribed as ‘our government’ should live up to expectations.
“I have my reasons when I said it’s our government. It is our government because it’s a product of our struggle. Even though I have worked closely with him and recently, from a far distance, I still relate very well to him. I am one of those behind the scenes with my counterpart, Muhajid Asari Dokubo, making statements for Tinubu’s presidency.”
The youth leader admonished the President to learn from former President Muhammadu Buhari, who surrounded himself with those who caged him while presiding over the affairs of the country between 2015 and 2023.
