By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said President Bola Tinubu’s programmes and policies are mostly in favour of Nigerian youths because he summons modern ideas to solve the problems of the 21st century.
According to him, the Tinubu administration will continue to support Nigerian youths based on his conviction that they are the lifeblood and driving force of the nation, just as he said young people are viewed by the administration as the harbingers of progress essential for future development and reform.
Senator Shettima stated this on Thursday while receiving the leadership of the City Boy Movement on a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He reaffirmed confidence in President Tinubu’s reform agenda, describing him as a leader prepared to take difficult decisions in pursuit of long-term national gains.
“Our eponymous City Boy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a man ahead of his time, a man of progressive conviction who summons modern ideas to meet the problems of our twenty-first century,” he said.
Governance, the VP noted, requires courage, patience and a willingness to pursue policies that may not deliver immediate applause but create lasting value.
He said Nigeria’s path to economic recovery depended not only on government policy but on the active belief and mobilisation of citizens willing to defend reform through difficult times.
He argued that democracy cannot survive on grievance alone but that citizen participation was necessary to sustain governments beyond the ballot box.
Addressing members of the movement led by Seyi Tinubu, VP Shettima said public trust is strengthened when citizens voluntarily support policies and institutions they believe can improve national outcomes.
“There is no verdict on a government more convincing than the solidarity of citizens who volunteer to stand for its success,” he said.
He observed that such support becomes even more significant when it comes from young Nigerians who choose engagement over cynicism and remain invested in the future of the country.
The Vice President commended the City Boy Movement for mobilising citizens across the country and encouraging broader participation in governance, saying democratic systems cannot endure on criticism alone but require citizens willing to organise, explain public policy and maintain public confidence.
“We could not be prouder of the pace you have set in mobilising Nigerians to stand with their government, to stand for the promise of the nation, and to stand in defence of the hard choices required to save this country from inherited decline,” he said.
Specifically, VP Shettima praised Seyi Tinubu for sustaining engagement with young Nigerians and building support structures across communities.
He argued that successful leadership demands the capacity to govern both supporters and critics without resentment. “Politics is the discipline of leading those who admire you and those who despise you alike. You are not a leader until you accept this burden without bitterness,” he stated.
The Vice President said the administration remains committed to protecting democratic freedoms and maintaining a political environment where citizens are free to express support or dissent.
“This is the democracy we have come to protect: a free home for those who support us and for those who oppose us, a place where we defend the voices raised against us and guard the freedom even of our critics,” he said.
VP Shettima also urged members of the movement to maintain discipline and internal cohesion, stressing that enduring institutions are built through consultation, trust and commitment to a shared purpose.
“Movements grow by discipline. They survive by trust. They mature by consultation. They endure by loyalty to a common mission larger than any personal ambition,” he said.
Earlier, the Director-General of the City Boys Movement, Hon. Francis Shoga, applauded the achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration in areas of infrastructure and economic development, saying the administration’s reforms are yielding tremendous results.
To this effect, he vowed that members of the movement would go to every nook and cranny of Nigeria to mobilise support for the re-election of the president in the 2027 election.
Shoga explained that the City Boy movement was founded on a clear and noble mission to support the programmes and initiatives of the Tinubu administration and to raise awareness of the achievements of the administration and to mobilise support for the president in the forthcoming presidential poll.
He eulogised Vice President Shettima for his dynamism and contribution to the development of the country through the reform policies of the Tinubu administration.
“It is a solemn opportunity to recognise service, leadership, loyalty and unwavering commitment to the progress of our great nation. Your Excellency, history remembers not just those who held office, but those who uplifted people, fortified institutions and sparked hope in ordinary citizens,” he noted.
On his part, the Minister of Youth Development, Hon. Ayodele Olawande, commended Vice President Shettima for his unwavering commitment and support for young Nigerians.
“Your Excellency, the Vice President, the father of the young people, thank you for giving us this opportunity to be with you today. It is a very great privilege for us. We don’t take it for granted. We see it as a home because all of us are for you,” the Minister said.
Olawande noted that the City Boy Movement has representatives in all the states of the federation, while its national headquarters will soon be commissioned in Abuja.
