Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has cautioned Nigerian youth against following footsteps of corrupt leaders in the country.
Ortom disclosed this when the Benue Youth Parliament paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Makurdi.
He expressed regret that many leaders were full of deceit, stressing that lies had taken over the leadership in the country.
“Leaders pay lip service to issues. They do not even respect the rule of law. The rule of law is selective. A big shame for us who are leaders. I pray God to help us,” he said.
He admonished youths not to take after them, by not allowing greed into their lives.
The governor said he hated dealing with sycophants and people who did not tell him the truth.
”I like to be criticized but it should be constructive criticism,” he said.
Ortom charged them to use their time to indulge in things that would benefit them and the society and not to indulge in ungodly acts.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mrs Ladi Ajene, applauded Ortom for involving youths in governance by curbing unemployment among the youths.
“He employed over 5,000 youths at the Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) as well as hundreds of them as lecturers at the Benue State University, Makurdi,” he said.
Majority Leader, Benue Youth Parliament, Mr John-Mark Tyonongo, appealed to the governor to give 40 per cent of appointments to the youths.
A member of the National Youth Parliament, Dr Timothy Ashibi, said they were advocating for a North Central Development Commission which would be saddled with the task of resettling displaced persons.
The President-General, Tiv Youth Organization, Mr Timothy Hembaor, appealed to Ortom to involve the youths in the security committee.
The Minority Whip, Benue Assembly, Mr Cephas Dyako, called on the governor to give more attention to the agricultural sector, stressing that if that was done, most of the challenges faced by youths would be solved.
