By MATTHEW KALU, Umuahia

The Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, has charged Abia youths to work for the enthronement of good governance in the state in 2023, saying such development would serve their best interest.

Emenike gave the charge in his message to the youths on the occasion of 2022 International Youth Day celebration on Friday, August 12, 2022, with the theme, “Intergenerational solidarity: creating a world for all ages”.

The APC governorship flag bearer noted that youths of Abia have always been the first victims of bad governance in the state, adding that for the trend to be reversed, the youths should be the vanguards in the struggle to enthrone good governance in the state in 2023.

He stated that there has never been any clear cut policy to harness the potentials of Abia youths to unleash their creative energy and positively contribute to the development of their own state and Nigeria in general.

The Abia APC leader promised that if APC takes control of Abia next year, good governance would take root in the state and the youth of Abia would the first to feel the positive impact just as the negative impact of bad governance had affected them before others.

“You should devote your energy and time to work for good governance to germinate and take root in Abia come 2023,” he told the young people of Abia, adding: “It is in your best interest for Abia to be programmed to start working well,” Emenike said in his message.

The APC governorship flag bearer, who is a development economist assured Abia youths that he has “a big plan” for them in the development agenda he has packaged to make Abia a first world state in a third world nation.

He identified unemployment as the major problem confronting the young population of Abia, saying that he would create real jobs for youths and birth "a new Abia economy" that would sustain employment opportunities for the teeming youths.

Emenike reminded youths of Abia of the sufferings they have endured over the years because bad leaders were put in Government House with the attendant frittering away of the resources that would have been invested in the development of the state.

He said that 2023 would provide the opportunity to correct the past mistakes that Abians had made in the choice of leaders and youths should key into the rescue mission he is leading to retrieve Abia from the hands of bad leaders.

“No more would the resources of Abia be devoured by locusts that masquerade as political leaders. No more would few individuals, who cannot see beyond their noses, be allowed to mortgage the future of Abia youths,” he assured.

Emenike, therefore, challenged Abia youths to support his vision for a new Abia where their interests would be well accommodated, adding that they can make it possible by supporting his aspiration to become the Governor in the state in 2023 promising that he would provide the catalyst that would spur Abia youths to soar beyond the sky.