The South-South Zonal Coordinator of Tinubu Must Stay, Ogie Clement, has called on Nigerians, particularly youths and women in the region, to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying continuity is necessary to sustain ongoing development programmes.
Clement made the call on Friday during the TMS Town Hall Meeting and Industrial Training Workshop held at Tamara Hall, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said the gathering was not merely a political event but an opportunity to promote empowerment, skills acquisition and economic opportunities for women and young people.
According to him, empowerment should go beyond political promises to providing practical skills that would enable beneficiaries to become economically independent.
“Empowerment is not just a slogan. Empowerment is giving a young man a skill so he will not beg again. Empowerment is giving a woman a trade so she can feed her family with dignity.
“Empowerment is giving a community the tools to build its own future. Today, our youths and women will learn, grow and go home stronger,” he said.
The TMS coordinator described Tinubu’s administration as one that had taken bold decisions and urged Nigerians not to abandon ongoing programmes halfway.
He maintained that the South-South region had benefited from the administration’s infrastructure and empowerment initiatives, citing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and support for oil-producing communities.
“In the South-South, we have felt it. From the Coastal Highway to the empowerment programmes, to the support for our oil-producing communities, this administration has not forgotten us,” Clement stated.
He added that Nigeria could not afford to discontinue ongoing projects, insisting that continuity was important for the country to achieve its development objectives.
“We cannot afford to stop a good work halfway. A farmer does not abandon his house at foundation level. Nigeria must finish what it started. That is why we say Tinubu Must Stay,” he said.
Addressing participants at the industrial training workshop, Clement urged beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity by acquiring relevant skills, asking questions and building useful networks.
He said the TMS movement was not solely about political mobilisation but also about improving Nigerians’ livelihoods through empowerment.
“When you are empowered, Bayelsa is empowered. When Bayelsa is empowered, the South-South is empowered. When the South-South is empowered, Nigeria is empowered,” he added.
Clement also charged TMS coordinators across the six South-South states to intensify grassroots mobilisation by taking the campaign to local government areas, wards, communities and political units.
He urged members to remain united, warning against attempts to divide the region and the organisation.
The zonal coordinator thanked the Bayelsa State chapter for hosting the event and reaffirmed the group’s support for Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking, a political science lecturer at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Mr Chukwuebuka Okoye, urged Nigerians to give Tinubu more time to translate his economic reforms into improved living conditions.
He compared the President’s economic reform agenda to a farmer who patiently plants and nurtures crops before harvesting.
“What the President is telling us is: Give me more time. You don’t plant a seed today and start to reap the fruits that same day,” he said.
However, Okoye noted that the economic gains must translate into affordable food, jobs, electricity and security.
He urged Bayelsa stakeholders to communicate the people’s development demands to the Federal Government ahead of the 2027 elections.
