The incoming National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has charged youths to rise to the challenge of leadership at various levels, noting that power is never gifted.

He gave the charge at the weekend in Abuja when a delegation of Benue youths, under the auspices of Benue Transition Mentees (BTM), paid him a courtesy call at his Maitama residence.

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The former senate president, who advised Nigerian youths to channel their energies into creative pursuits, said the future belongs to youths who prepare themselves.

Ayu said: “We often hear that youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but that is not automatic.

“The future really belongs to youths who follow their passions, who prepare themselves and who go after what they want.

“There are youths who are doing drugs, who are into all sorts of vices like kidnapping, prostitution, what they call Yahoo-yahoo.

“Some make up the battalions in the banditry ravaging the country. The future does not belong to these.

“Organise yourselves, mobilize your large constituency and go for what you want, including public office. There is no Father Christmas in politics.

“Sometimes young people forget that many of us started out on this route as young men too.

“I became a graduate at 23, got my PhD at 31, was a senior lecturer at 37 and was elected to the Senate at 39 where my colleagues made me Senate President at 40. I can say that for others too.

And in many of these outings, we successfully competed against older, more experienced people.

“So, when youths say, ‘Give us a chance,’ I tell them: ‘Chance is not always a gift. Power is never gifted on a platter or in a parcel.’ So, mobilize and take your chance as we march to 2023.”
He decried the get-rich-quick attitude among youth people and counselled emergent leaders to, first, imbibe the culture of service to the Fatherland, adding that money may follow.

Earlier, the youths said they were in Abuja to congratulate Ayu on his well-deserved emergence as the new PDP national chairman as well as pray for his success in his determined quest of returning the party to power in 2023.