Why youths should take up leadership positions – Oyabambi

A former gubernatorial candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in Kwara State, Otunba Adetunji Oyabambi has advised the youth to take up key leadership positions in the country and participate in policy formation in order to build an egalitarian society and progressive nation.

Oyabambi said this during a virtual interview with The Informant247 Online Newspapers

He described the youth as agents of change and epitome of new ideas that can boost the nation’s capacity in innovation and technology.

“I believe there are always room for better performance and a much better outstanding development if the youth of today are allowed in politics, he said.

He added that the world is evolving and there has been no better time for the youth to be allowed to learn the ropes and take up key leadership positions in the country than in the present time.

“Even without you leaving the shores of your country, you are very well aware of what is happening all around the world. So why not give the youths a chance to prove themselves? Youthfulness brings new ideas, innovations and a breath of fresh air. I see in youth a healthy amount of selflessness.”

He also pointed out that youths in the country have held various key positions for time immemorial, charging the government of today to give special considerations and attention to the Youths in policy making.

“Youths have always been in the leadership in our country for a while, General Gowon became the head of state at the age of 27 years, Bukola Saraki became governor of Kwara state at the age of 40 years, governor of Kogi state became the governor at the age of 40 years also. I can say categorically that youths have been leading our country for a long time.”

Citing the recent ENDSARS protest as an instance, Oyebambi charged Nigerian youths to be fully involved in governance and nation-building, adding that for the country to attain the desired level of stability, the youths must be actively involved in governance.

He said: “Another aspect is in the way we lay down policies. Whatever policies we put in place, we need feedback and from the right source. So many of our leaders, are they even paying attention to the “court of public opinion?” I mean the social media outlets? They do not necessarily need someone sugarcoating anything for them. It’s out there. I understand the government cannot satisfy every single citizen but let’s do our job and let it show by reaching out. Take for instance – the SARS. I strongly believe it was meant to bring law and order. But it ends up being a good tool ending up in the wrong hands. Was the government aware of this before it degenerated to what inevitably happened?”

Oyabambi who is a philanthropist and a successful entrepreneur noted that lack of economic opportunity, adoption of youth-inclusive policies, and lack of empowerment and employment opportunities are some of the obstacles hindering the youths from playing active roles in leadership, development, and peace building.

“It still comes down to realizing that the world is changing rapidly. We need to engage and involve our youths. We need to realize that our youth is the soul of this nation. Is the government looking at the core areas of concern? It is not enough that these youth are educated but are they empowered? What future do they see for themselves in this country?

I will say that joblessness has escalated the sufferings of the teeming youth population in Nigeria which was clearly illustrated by the marmot crowd that gathered during the EndSARS protest,” he added.

He finally advised the government to create an enabling environment that will enable the youth to thrive in order for them to maximize their potential for the development of the nation.

“My advice to the government is to create an enabling environment where small and medium scale enterprises can thrive so that our youths with so much energy can be productively engaged so that people can at least live a better life and the country’s economy can also impress through improved GDP and the issue of insecurity ravaging our country would have been technically handled by that singular act.”