By Emeka Mamah

KADUNA—A coalition of Nigerian youths from the North, South-East and South- South Tuesday took their turns to address the meeting of the Northern Governors’ Forum, NGF, on the desirability or otherwise of supporting President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 election.

This is coming against the backdrop of the inability of the 19 Northern governors to take a definite stand on the contentious zoning issue which has taken the front burner of national discussions in the last few months.

However, some of the groups called on all the stakeholders in the nation’s polity to adhere strictly to the presidential zoning system earlier adopted by the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in 1998, saying that it was “a gentleman’s agreement” which  should be adhered to.

In his own submission at the NGF, the Secretary of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF,  Mallam Aminu Mohammed urged the elders to take the youths into consideration in anything they wanted to do, pointing out that jettisoning zoning at this point in time was like mortgaging the future of the youths.

The AYCF Scribe posited that the north alone can rule the country for the next 30 years if the zoning arrangement was not respected and advised “the northern governors to sustain zoning as it will help Nigeria in future”.

Also, presenting his groups position, Alhaji Abubakar Aminu Kurawa, said “today is special because you will make public your position as regards whether the presidential seat should be zoned to the North.

“It is pertinent at this juncture to bring to your notice that certain number of Arewa Youths and student organizations intended to hold a protest within Kaduna metropolis, in order to register our defiance, specifically referring to the attempt by some cash and carry politicians who are resolute to compromise the interest and dignity of the Northern people, in their quest for material benefits in the forthcoming presidential election.

“However, we were rightly advised by the security agencies in the state to resort to delivering a message of this nature to you, bearing in mind the volatile nature of the state.