Chukwu David 
The National Coordinator of the Movement for a New Nigeria (MNN), Mr Steve Arowolo, on Monday, called on President Bola Tinubu, to appoint a former Presidential aspirant in the 2019 general elections on the platform the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abubakar Alkali, as Minister of Youth Affairs.
In a statement jointly signed and made available to journalists in Abuja, by Arowolo who is also the National Convener of the Greater Nigeria Movement (GNM), and the National Secretary of the MNN, Mallam Isiyaku Dankwalba, the MNN stated that it believed Alkali, who is the founder and a patron of the MNN, has the experience, capacity, commitment, and exposure to fix the myriad of challenges facing Nigerian youths in line with President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
Arowolo indicated that the MNN and GNM have branches and representatives across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT comprising mostly youths and young people, stressing that Alkali worked relentlessly in the 2023 general elections, leading to the emergence of the Tinubu in particular and the overall successes of the APC dating back to the 2015 elections in general.
The MNN executives described Alkali as Pan-Nigeria, Tinubu adherent, and a thorough APC man, who formed the APC chapter in Scotland U.K in 2014 and served as its pioneer chairman, noting that Alkali was also the Chairman of the Amalgamated APC Support Groups in Scotland, UK, and played a major role in the efforts to get the APC well rooted in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“At the home front, Dr. Alkali was an aspirant for the Sokoto central senatorial seat in the 2011 general elections under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and also played a major role in the merger between the legacy parties CPC, ACN and ANPP which led to the birth of the APC.
“Dr. Alkali served as a member of the screening committee for the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Sokoto state in the run-up to the 2023 general elections,” the statement said.
It further described Alkali as a well versed youth mobiliser and advocate, who would key perfectly into the Tinubu administration, being a university lecturer and mentor, who had inspired so many youths across the country and had so much passion for skills acquisition amongst Nigerian youths to assist them towards self-reliance in the task to build a private sector-driven economy in Nigeria.
Arowolo who described Alkali, as a consummate petroleum engineer, technocrat, and politician, said that he believed that Alkali would work with the ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and other relevant stakeholders in boosting job creation for the youths, particularly in the non-oil sector of the economy.
“Based on his integrity, pedigree, sense of patriotism, and commitment to the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerian youths, it is fair to say that Dr. Alkali ticked all the boxes to be the next minister of youth affairs of our great country, Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
