Don’t elect president older than 60 years, Tambuwal tells Nigerians

 "We need a president that is agile, who can travel across Nigeria in a day to get first hand information on issues bedeviling Nigerians..."

The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has advised Nigerians against voting for any candidate older than 60 years in the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Tambuwal, who is 56 years old, has declared his bid to run in that election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He spoke in Jigawa State on Tuesday after the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in the 19 northern states ‘endorsed’ his ambition.

The governor was represented at the event by his Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Bashir Usman.

“Young Nigerians are the owner(s) of the country, any person above 60 years is surviving to meet God Almighty – he is not surviving to lead a nation,” Mr Tambuwal said at the event.

“We need a president that is agile, who can travel across Nigeria in a day to get first hand information on issues bedeviling Nigerians, not a president who will sit in the comfort of his office awaiting censored information from people.”

He added that Nigerians should not consider for election people living with age-related illnesses.

The governor tasked students to keep on struggling to ensure that their campuses are reopened for academic activities within the shortest time possible.

Mr Tambuwal said the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on strike under every administration because of lack of political will to address the issues raised by the university’s lecturers.

According to him, the dispute between the Nigerian government and ASUU is a cause for concern for all right-thinking Nigerians.

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“We all know what the problems are, yet it has been lingering for more than 15 years now and up till now, there appears no end in sight. No government appears willing to solve the problems.

“Apart from the lack of political will to solve the problems, I believe the government should engage constructively with the teachers and don’t promise what they cannot afford. That I believe is what has kept the issue lingering till date.

“As far as I am concerned, you (students) are the ones to fight for the future of education in the country. You are the ones that will struggle for the education of this country.

“Therefore, as long as we keep mute, believe me, our universities will remain closed for a long time,” Mr Tambuwal warned.