The first Vice-President, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Senator
Binta Garba, has called on Nigerians, especially youths, to be focused
and not be depressed because they hold the key to the future of the
country.
According to her, people see her “painted face” and wish to be like her, not knowing what she did in the past .
The lawmaker said she did everything (except prostitution), including hawking bread, selling moi moi and Kunu Zaki to survive.
She
spoke in Abuja during the 2nd National Youth Economic Summit organised
by the Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) in the 19 northern
states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Garba, representing
Adamawa North Senatorial District in the National Assembly and three
times former member of the House of Representatives (1999 – 2011),
said, “When you sit down here and see Binta with a painted face, you
will want to be like her. But if I tell you my story, you will run away.
“I
hawked bread and sold moi moi, I started working, did everything to
survive, except that I didn’t sell my body. But God was so fateful, at
that tender age, I never knew. But He only looked for the inner mind.
This nation is blessed; over 60 per cent of the population are youths.
“I
started hawking bread with N2 and became a distributor of bread at the
age of 11. When you go to secondary school now and you ask a child, ‘do
you want to hawk bread?’ The child will say ‘no’. Nobody wants to hawk
bread because they believe it is a dirty job.”
Garba warned the
youth against causing division in Nigeria, saying they should abide by
the biblical principle of praying for the nation’s leaders, instead of
abusing President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said
Nigeria had been experiencing security challenges because of lack of
values.
The SGF, who noted that ethnicity, had destroyed the bond
among Nigerians, expressed sadness over the security situation in the
country, calling on youths to lead the vanguard in restoring peace,
security and stability by helping government to provide intelligence.
Mustapha
advised the youth to report any signal that could cause threats to the
public, adding that for the country to develop, everyone especially the
youth should shun greed, malice, deceit, envy, slander, arrogance and
folly.
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