Permit me to start by saluting the courage of Comrade Basheer Ashura, a classic vibrant PDP youth from Patigi Local government with a measure of capacity and commitment in his quest for the position of secretariship in the Kwara PDP. What your request has indicated once again is the readiness of the youths to take leadership positions and work with the elders and stakeholders in ensuring that our party the People Democratic Party, is repositioned for a more youth inclusive structure that it is known for.
What came to my mind while reading Ashura’s request letter was the position of a young PDP kman who wrote from Adewole ward on the necessity to run a more youth-inclusive structure in the PDP, noting that the PDP is known with a history of placing youths with capacities and intellectual competencies in positionsm of power and leadership.
In his opinion, Abdulsalam Ajibola remarked that:
“We should also ensure that just as we have it at the national level, the PDP should make it compulsory that every occupant of the office of the youth leader at the state, local government, and ward levels should not be more than 30 years in age.
The PDP should also ensure that more young persons that are under the age of 40 years should be given vantage positions in the party and nominated to key positions at the national headquarters when there are vacancies or when the opportunity arises for them to serve in national committees and bodies at the national secretariat”
Reading this part of Ajibola’s remarks, I started painting a picture of the possibility of having a vibrant youth like Ashura as the State Youth Leader of the party, a position that, in my opinion, would explore more of his capacities than being a secretary. Ashura, is no doubt, a young man who has proven competence and dedications to service on several assignments he was committed to.
For the sake of clarity, the position of the State Secretaryship in the present party leadership structure is a slot for the Ilorin West Local Government and the replacement is expected to come from the concerned local government. However, this is not to deny you of the right to quest but to guide your thoughts as a brother on the needs why you must think more of the State Youth leadership position than the secretary, the position a representative from your region of the state is presently occupying.
I am sure Basheer Ashura is comfortable with the demonstration of the party leadership thus far on the historical inclusion of the youths in leadership processes. He will recall that the likes of Prince Baba Idris, Olaitan Obalowu and host of others have featured in critical national assignments of the party and have represented the Youth constituency well with their dispositions and conducts.
Ashura will also recall that most prominent political gladiators we have in leading political parties in Kwara today started their political journey and leadership responsibilities with the Saraki dynasty in their early 30s. These politicians occupied political leadership in kwara political sphere from across the parties and they have a history of rising from the position of SSAs, Commissioners, Ministers, NASS reps and so on. History would be kind not to forget this in a hury.
In all, this is to show that the quest of the young committed party man is apt and very much in order. It could onlyrequure a bit of advice from a brother of his like me, who trust so much in his capacity, to redirect his energy where he will be more useful to us as a party and to the youth constituency as a representative.
On a final note, I salute his courage as a young man who sees possibilities in the future and who strive to be part of that possibilities.
Otukoko Olayinka Ibrahim
PDP member from Ilorin west
