Chief James Kanyip, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, has advised political leaders to mentor youths to prepare them for leadership roles in the near future.
Kanyip made the call on Monday at the Kaura Youth Summit held in Kagoro, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to him, mentorship produces leaders that ensure continuity in governance and maintain the culture and values of government institutions.
He lauded the administration of Gov. Nasir el-Rufai for initiating a mentoring programme to groom youths on governance.
He said the mentoring programme had ensured the appointment of young people into key positions where they were contributing to effective governance.
Kanyip particularly commended the efforts of el-Rufai toward encouraging youth participation in political governance.
“On this, Kaduna State is a pacesetter and has the highest number of youths in Nigeria that are directly participating in the political governance and affairs of the state.
“Governor el-Rufai has further taken the issue of youth participation in governance outside partisanship by ensuring the establishment of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship.
“The Fellowship is part of the governor’s vision of deliberately building youth capacity for leadership and strengthening youth network,” he added
The Deputy Chief of Staff decried the high cost of political parties’ nomination forms, saying that it was a stumbling block to the political ambitions of youths.
Kanyip, therefore, advocated for independent candidacy, noting that it would provide a viable platform for youths to vie for political offices.
Earlier, the President of Kaura Youth Coalition, Bawa Gwazayet, had said that the summit was aimed at forming a common front, across political parties, in the quest for good leadership.
Gwazayet implored the youths to be at the forefront of political activities, “instead of always depending on handouts from office holders”. ASUU