North-eastern All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders urged Vice President Kashim Shettima and National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu on Monday to assist in filling the vacancy of the region’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management position.
Nentawe Yilwatda, the recently elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, had previously held the post.
In order to force former Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Organisation coordinator Haruna Sardauna to succeed Yilwatda as minister, a delegation of the APC Youth Stakeholders Forum, led by its Executive Secretary, Abdulkareem Jimeta, stormed the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
Jimeta emphasised the importance of Northeast youths having fair representation in President Bola Tinubu’s administration during a press conference following the submission.
According to Jimeta, “this is a wake-up call to our Northeast leaders, Vice President Kashim Shettima and NSA Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to step in and facilitate the appointment of Haruna Sardauna and other Northeast youth to benefit from Tinubu’s presidential appointment.”
He maintained that the six Northeastern states—Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe—have a combined total of only eight young presidential appointees, compared to 27 in Kano State alone.
The APC stakeholders contended that powerful individuals in other areas effectively lobbied for their states, which was mostly to blame for the disparity.
About 71% of presidential youth appointments in the North have gone to the Northwest, which has benefited from this. 21 percent are in the North-Central region. “Unfortunately, only 8% of the Northeast region benefits,” they bemoaned.
Jimeta also emphasised Haruna Sardauna’s devotion to President Tinubu, mentioning his present position as Director-General of the Renewed Hope Youth Ambassadors and his previous position as Deputy National Chairman of the Tinubu Youth Ambassadors since 2016.
Sardauna is a “prominent youth figure in Northern Nigerian politics, known for his skills in grassroots political mobilisation and humanitarian nature,” he said, emphasising that his appointment would help the APC’s chances in the 2027 presidential election in addition to rewarding his loyalty.
Additionally, the organisation emphasised how crucial it is to select a candidate from the Northeast, which has been severely impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency.
They emphasised that Sardauna, a local, is aware of the region’s unique humanitarian issues, such as the predicament of IDPs, widows, orphans, and people with disabilities.
The Forum stated that his appointment would be a critical step in supplying the financial and humanitarian assistance required to address these issues.
Other Arewa youth organisations have also supported the campaign for Sardauna’s appointment, endorsing him together with Northwest Hon. Nasir Ja’oji in order to improve the representation of young people in Tinubu’s cabinet.
The organisation argued that Sardauna is in a good position to create policies and programs that are specific to the recovery and development of the region because of his experience in public administration and his status as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Administration and Governance.
Jimeta came to the conclusion that Haruna Sardauna’s nomination as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management would be a major step in resolving the humanitarian issues in the Northeast and advancing development and recovery.
