It is no mistake of either man or nature that the major people who have in time past, shaped the course of history in several countries around the world and even those that shook the world itself, have been noted to begin as Vibrant Youths. From Napoleon Bonaparte to Adolf Hitler, from Martin Luther King to our very own trio of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe and Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa who all bravely engaged the colonial masters and successfully gained us freedom... all at their late 20's and very early 30's.
It is however saddening to note that the same soil upon which youths were once treasured as the strength of the nation is now trodden upon with the current youths being paraded as touts and political machineries.
Some of the factors that have hindered youth inclusion in political leadership in Nigeria with possible solutions are as follows;
1. Sit-tight attitude of aged leaders: It will be observed that majority of the people occupying most of the leadership seats in the country at present are the same set of people who have been ruling in the last 30 - 40 years! This act of selfishness automatically excludes youths from occupying such positions as the seats are not vacant. The best possible solution to this issue is for senior citizens (60 years upwards) who are currently in government, to humbly vacate their positions while adequately mentoring young minds into such offices.
2. Party structure: It is a known fact that no one can assume any meaningful position without going through the political party institution. However, it is bad news from the quarters of the political parties within the country as regards youth inclusion. Years ago, the ruling party elected a man above 60 years as the party youth leader and recently the main opposition party appointed a 52-year old as its youth leader! The simple solution here is this, (i)Youth affairs should be strictly youth led and youth-managed (ii) Youths should not only be relegated to occupying positions in the Youth wing but effectively included in general party decision making and leadership structure.
3.Youth restiveness: In a country with over 10 million unemployed (graduate) youths, it is not out of place to observe youths getting involved in several social vices, taking up arms and being restive in different parts of the country. This has over the years created a gap in the handing over process of leadership positions from the ageing generation to the younger but hardly maturing youthful generation as the older ones see the majority of the younger crop as unserious, immature and unfit to handle resources. There is only one way to curb this and that is for the government of the day to ensure that there is gainful employment for the average youth on the street and also for the youth to grow up and live up to responsibility by seeking knowledge and expertise instead of taking to idleness and restiveness and thus waste away.
Other factors include lack of appropriate civic education, non creative and innovative government institutions amongst others.
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If it is going to be, it is up to the youths. You do not ask your parents to quit the stage for you to have enough space to operate. Nobody quit the stage for Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa and Azikiwe; they created a space for themselves. The writer hit the right chord when he opined that " the youth should grow up and live up to their responsibility by seeking knowledge and expertise instead of taking to idleness and restiveness and thus waste away". The more we think these people owe us; the more we will remain where we are. You do not handpick people to govern. It is your results that speak for you. After all, Rasheed Gbadamosi was only 26 when he became a commissioner in Lagos State! If we are serious as youths, methinks we need to create space for ourselves, not asking anyone to leave the stage.
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