The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, on Friday urged youths to maximize their potential, channeling their skills, talents and energy towards making Nigeria a first-world nation.

Ighodalo made the call at the Egor Youth Summit with the theme, “Building Leadership Skills, Confidence and Opportunities for Young People,” held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, Edo State Capital.

He said: “The youths are not to see themselves as just leaders in the future but are leaders of the nation now. The youths are in a position to help, build, rehabilitate, and change Nigeria for the better.

“A true leader is a person that loves the people and if you don’t love your people you can’t be a great leader. You need to love the people before you can lead them rightly.”

Ighodalo continued: “Nigeria attained Independence in 1960 and produced great leaders but the love of the people which was absent created the gap that has pushed us to where we are today with various challenges facing the nation.

“Not loving the people made it very difficult to gather and transfer that leadership skills into transformational momentum to change the narratives of Nigeria for the better, developing it into a first-world country.

“We are blessed with more resources than any country in the world and are free from many natural disasters and yet still remain as a third-world country. We have made so much money from oil and yet still in the part we find ourselves with numerous challenges facing us as a nation.

“Nigeria can become a first world country in eight years if only the youths can focus on doing things differently and take over from our present leadership that has put us in the challenges we face as a nation.

“I call on the youths to change their mindset to have a country where the citizens are not molested and the people are loved. We have to start the transformation of Nigeria from Edo State and need to do enough to make this goal achievable.”

He added: “The Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub was built by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government for the youth, to enhance creativity and transform the state and nation.”

Ighodalo further noted that, “A true leader is a person that used his leadership skills to transform the lives of those he or she is leading. I urged the youths to be determined to create a better Edo State using their power of the ballot to ensure that qualified and competent people are in leadership positions in Nigeria.

“I call on the youths to go back to the value system we cherish as a people as it helps to bring out the best in the youth. Edo State is going to save Nigeria and the youths of Edo State will lead the front as they lead the country away from where it is now to where it ought to be paving the way to becoming a first world nation.”

Earlier, the Edo State Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor said youths have the energy and capacity to re-engineer the society as the future lies in their hands, noting: “This programme is the very first of its kind in Egor Local Government Area. I hold a very strong view that the youth have the energy to re-engineer and develop the society, state, nation and world at large.

“The future of any economy is embedded in the youth population and that is why the mind of the young people needs to be energized for a productive society. The essence of this Summit is to gather young people across the State to have an honest conversation, brainstorming sessions and interaction that will change the way the youths think.

“The future of the youths is based on the thoughts in their heart today and what they expose their heart and thoughts towards. I welcome the youths to the Summit and assure you that you will certainly get a change of thinking towards becoming better leaders that will change the narrative of Nigeria.”

•PHOTO: Dr. Asue Ighodalo (right); Edo State Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor (2^nd right), during the Egor Youth Summit in Benin City, Edo State Capital, on Friday, April 12, 2024.

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