By Abdulrahman Abdulmalik
Frankly speaking, Nigerian youths are in dire need of urgent attention to the challenges facing their lives. In recent times, they have become over-zealous, willing to serve to exhibit their talents in both public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, the leadership cadre is filled with aged politicians who think nation building is their exclusive preserve and as such youth should not be given a chance. Perhaps, their stand explains why though youths are said to be leaders of tomorrow, that future never comes.
This is the unfortunate mind-set that has informed the pattern of successive leadership in Nigeria. This cliché in some way has sedated almost all youth and created in them a sense of reluctance in participating and taking up roles and responsibilities that will help in nation building.
According to the Nigerian Constitution, the youths are persons between ages 18 and 35. In a broader sense, youth refers to people who have energy, vigour and enthusiasm to get things done. It is a state of mind not a function of Age, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity and an insatiable appetite for progressive reasoning.
Youths are the building blocks of every developed nation. The stronger the youth of a country, the more developed that country. For a country like Nigeria with about 70% youth population, one wonders why we are where we are but why would this not be so when the future of the youth has been mortgaged for selfish gains; when we have been denied the benefits of good education, when our minds have been chronically infested with low morality and loss of values, when the leadership class is riddled with notoriously corrupt individuals which the justice system has helplessly fail to punish. Why won’t it be so when government’s plans and readiness to revive youth un-productivity is but a mere lip service? They only engage us during election and turn us into electoral thugs instead of creating adequate employment opportunities for us.
On the other hand, we are the architect of our misfortune because we have internalised the wrong precedence of corrupt politicians. We are ideologically bankrupt and in a state of delirium. We chose violence instead of peace and mutual coexistence. We chose the comfort of the moment instead of striving for self-sacrifice that will guarantee the freedom of this country. We avail ourselves all kinds of dirty jobs during election. We lack character and morality. The qualities of tomorrow’s leaders lie in the characters of today’s followers.
Our thoughts are ominously perilous, non-productive and self-renegading. According to Mahatma Ghandhi, “A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks he becomes.” We learn from the bad examples of our leaders as evident in violence and fraud that characterise students’ union election and large scale embezzlement of funds in our unions and youth forums. Hence, we must desist from all forms of acts and characters that could speak negative of us.
To really enhance the youth and make him or her contribute meaningfully to nation building is a duty for all, the government, parent and youth themselves. The energy and brightness of the minds of youths act as torch bearer for national development. The countries which utilise their youth in positive direction are more developed. The youths of a nation are the trustees of posterity. Provision of jobs and employment opportunities are leverage for the youth to properly and conscientiously channel their energy and talent towards nation building. #BuildTheYouthBuildTheNation
Service and sacrifice to country and fatherland in the spirit of true patriotism must be a front burner in the heart of every youth. This means the country’s peace, sanity and orderliness should be the utmost desire of every youth. We must be agents of change and the change we desire in others must start from us. We must use all of our talent to serve the country. We must also help government at all levels in the implementation of policy. We must resist all forms of exploitation by individuals and groups for in this they take away our voice and right and take us away from the big picture.
Youths must seek to participate in government, politics and policy formulation. We should endeavour to join mainstream politics and form healthy and progressive alliances among ourselves and participate in all issues of state and national interest. This way, our voices will be heard and our views considered.
We must have a change in character and value; we must purge and cleanse ourselves of all qualities inimical to national development. For a man who wants equity must come with clean hands, so goes the saying.
In conclusion, we need the wisdom of the old because if the energy of youth is left unchecked, it portends imminent danger. It is time for the young generation to stop seeing themselves as too young (#NotTooYoungToRun). We all have something to offer this great country.
Having carefully looked around me here in Kwara State with all sense of humility and equity, I see the vision of Kwara youths in a gentle, brave, tolerant, generous and humble young man who is filled with many untapped leadership qualities, in person of.. AMBASSADOR ABDULFATAI YAHAYA SERIKI GAMBARI.
This youthful and useful youth with tested and trusted leadership tendencies has alot to offer if only a leadership template is provided for him through public office. He has the zeal, the will, the passion and the orientation to lead and to serve. Service is like errand, as we approach the year 2019, I urge Kwara Youths to please have a #rethink and join hands together to SEND Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki Gambari on an errand of leadership to make his youthful agenda a #REALITY for all.
He is #NotTooYoungToLead
