“Your vote will count’’, Jack-Rich’ APC presidential aspirant assures youths
By Gambo Jagindi
September 04, 2022
Mr Tein Jack-Rich, a former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), has assured the youths that their votes would count come 2023.
Jack-Rich gave the assurance on Sunday, in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
According to him, Nigerian youths have the power and the number to determine who emerges winner of any election.
“Please continue to go for your PVCs so that you can make that signature statement, believe that your vote will count, I tell you, who you vote for will emerge.
“If you do not like the guy making policies, then get your PVCs and vote him out, if you like what the guy is doing, get your PVC and vote him in.
“I want to use this medium to announce to you all that your votes will count. Get your PVC irrespective of what it will cost you, that is the only way you can lend your voice in an arena of change,’’ Jack-Rich said.
The oil mogul and humanitarian maintained that the young people in Nigeria were the greatest force to reckon with because they were the most important population the country could not afford to do without.
“The youth population is what I call the centre of gravity; they are the centrifugal centre of gravity that will be used to reconstruct, to recalibrate our country, Nigeria, and to promote Africa in a broader perspective and light.
“From the physical point of view, you will want to see what you can do to enable this great nation called Nigeria to thrive.’’
The CEO of Belema Oil, who recalled the prospects Nigeria had at independence, however, decried its current dwindling economic fortunes, noting that only purposeful leadership could save the country from its myriad of challenges.
He urged the younger generation not to lose hope in the face of adversity, but trudge on to struggle and make a difference to secure their future and the future of the generations yet unborn.
“I believe in giving back to the community that has given to me, the wellness of my people is my utmost interest, irrespective of the fact that we are having all manner of cultural and geo-political sensitivities and divergence.
“The most important thing I believe that we need to give to humanity is to address their needs, I do not want to see any community struggle with the basic necessities of life, that is what really triggered my interest to embark on these countless humanitarian gestures, and I believe it should also motivate other Nigerians to do the same.
According to him, since there is already an incumbent leader, all the youths need to make a change, is to make themselves available for service in their field of expertise to move the country forward.
“The real reason for me is to serve my country and have my country have a voice in the committee of nations because we cannot be isolating ourselves by our actions.
“I believe strongly that my generation cannot afford to take the backstage, otherwise the next generation that are called the millennials will struggle, and our kids will not have a future.
“So my reason for delving into politics is to contribute my quota to the wellness of our country, so that when Nigerians travel outside they will have a voice.
Speaking on the “Not Too Young To Run’’ policy of the current administration, Jack-Rich said it would have been a very fantastic idea if his party had followed up on it.
“It would have been a fantastic legacy for my party (APC) to push that through. But I believe that God’s time is not just the best time, but the all time.
“I believe that there is a voice that is stronger than all the armies of this world, and that is an idea which time has come, and we the younger generation are the ones that will drive that.
“But I know that whatever it is that might have hindered that from happening in 2023, God is still saying something positive for us, we cannot just afford to let go. It is a good platform for young Nigerians to aspire and not to take the backstage,’’ he said.
According to the Rivers-born philanthropist, he lives his life based on three basic principles of “time to polish, time to shine and time to launch.’’
He therefore, said what was required of all Nigerians now was to ensure that the foundation of Nigeria was supported in whichever its citizens could.
“When we do that, the country leaves that face of humanity, it goes a long way to really demonstrate that we are indeed a people designed to deal with our core issues.
“So I believe in these core values as basic necessities of life, I believe what I do should motivate others, we need to imbibe such values, be our brothers’ keepers for the collective interest of our country.