The Nigerian youth have been told to reject at all cost any politician that would be compromised by corruption, dishonesty and sectionalism.

Giving the advice at the inauguration of the North East West and South Liberal Movement (NEWSLM) at the weekend, the president of the movement, Prince Benedict Michael, said Nigeria did not need political leaders who would enslave the minds of the people, but those who would guarantee peace and unity in the country and also bring new and different approaches towards eradication of poverty and good governance.

“If Nigeria will embrace true democracy, confront corruption and firmly reject tribalism, we can count and reap the true dividend of democracy”, Michael said.

NEWSLM, he said, was not just another NGO but a child of exigency and formed out of the disparity in the nation polity. “The movement is an enthusiast of pace and will readily condemn any act capable of disintegrating our country. Since youth are the leaders of the future, a need for a moral and sound arbiter must be vigorously pursed and this will be done through our voting rights”, he stressed.

Michael said allowing political leaders to be chosen by the elite would not redefine democracy, stressing that there was need to build a practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty.

He listed measures that could lead to youth empowerment to revitalising the agricultural sector by providing incentives and subsides to farmers.

Juliana Taiwo, This Day (Lagos), August 13, 2002