Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has said that people of impeccable character are needed in leadership positions to turn-around the country for the better.
He stated this through his Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel-Berje while declaring open a three-day training for youths, a collaborative programme between the state government and Lead Generation Initiative (LGI), held at Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
“The quality of leadership, integrity and character of whoever we vote for is what will fix this country”, he said.
Sani Bello said that for Nigeria to get the desired change, people must actively participate in the political process because no individual can change the fortunes of this country.
He noted that, with the endemic level of corruption at various levels in the country, there is the need to address it, hence the call for people of good character to be part of the political process.
“We have to work on our characters as human beings and we have to be nice to each other”, he added.
The Governor, who had in January this year attended the inauguration of the LGI, said he became the first state to partner with them because he had seen their capacity to transform and reorient the youths in leadership training.
He expressed happiness with the Get Involved Leadership Training (GILT) for the youths in the state urging youths to be bold and use the opportunity to actively participate in politics and governance of the country.
The Governor also lamented the low political participation of women in the state, appealing to them to become fully involved in all political processes for the growth of democracy.
Earlier, the Founder and Chairman Board of Trustee, Lead Generation Initiative, Mr Shina Peller said the team was in the state to train the youths in effective leadership skills, strategic communication, political mobilization, active citizenship and nation-building.
Mr Peller who is also the member, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Oyo State further explained that the team is raising awareness about community development, and consciously training those who will be trained to train others and drive development from the grassroots.
He said two participants were selected from each of the 25 local government areas of the state to replicate the training they received to the 274 wards in the State and that another set of 50 persons nominated by the state government will be trained as supervisors, bringing the numbers of those to be trained to 100.
He then urged the youths to get informed, show interest in national issues and join a political party of their choice to enable them to participate in the political process.
The Founder commended Governor Sani Bello for being the first state to partner with Lead Generation Initiative and encouraged other states to do the same as it will go a long way to end extreme poverty and create a more inclusive society.
Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Emmanuel Umar, in his welcome address, commended the initiative of the team and expressed hope that it will create opportunities for young people to add value to their communities.
He also commended Governor Sani Bello for supporting the initiative and for his overall efforts in ensuring value is added to the potentials of youths in the state.
In their separate remarks, the Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Jibrin Ndagi Baba and Chairman Youth Council, Niger state chapter, Malam Bello Sheriff commended the Governor for finding the youths in the state worthy to benefit from the initiative and called on the youths to make use of the opportunity granted them to participate in the training as it will make them better persons in the society and enable them to acquire leadership skills.
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