Youths and Nigeria’s transformation

By Gabriel A. Edem

At 60, Nigeria’s state of under-development resulting from mischief, selfishness, and greed of the political elite, and the need for socio-economic transformation that will liberate the country from this unwelcome state of affairs should jolt the youths at all levels from the grips of apathy and propel them to be at the fore-front of our political process, especially from the next electoral cycle.

There is the dire need for the youths to do a critical social analysis of Nigeria’s situation and resolve to take their destiny in their hands rather than remain preys in the hands of the elite who put them in perpetual servitude to achieve their selfish aims.

Prior to the 2019 general elections, figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated that 51.19 percent of registered voters were youths, while 29.11 percent were middle age. These figures are certain to increase ahead of the 2023 elections.

Sadly, the youths failed to utilize their numeric strength to push for a new, visionary and progressive order for Nigeria, especially by not volunteering to work for emerging, visionary, intelligent and youthful candidates across some of the new political platforms. Instead, they opted to work for the same old, discredited political gladiators that have held our country down and plundered our commonwealth over the years.

Most of them have been around the corridors of power for many years with no intentions of stepping aside for new crop of leaders. The youths are a vital source of innovative ideas and constitute the revolutionary vanguard of the society, and therefore, are capable of responding appropriately to the urgent and emerging challenges.

However, over the years, the youths have been stifled and marginalized deliberately and therefore have become very vulnerable to the evil antics and fraudulent manipulations by political opportunists and economic self-seekers. The political elite have deliberately not made any significant investments in the youths, as future leaders, to adequately empower and prepare them for effective political participation. The old political elite have no regards for the potentials of the youths, despite  that some talented and well-educated youths have performed marvelously and recorded significant achievements in the various endeavours both in the private and public sectors.

When the old guard cannot fault the commonsense of youths, they condemn them for incompetence and inexperience. The political elite are totally responsible for the causative factors that have driven many youths to fall short of sound moral ethics and societal values. Such factors include unemployment, poor and limited education as well as pervasive poverty, among others. It therefore, becomes imperative for the youths not to lose sight that they have a responsibility to salvage the nation and must rise up and take advantage of the current democratic experience to attempt to deliver the nation from its challenge. It is an arduous task, but achievable with unity and sincerity of purpose.

The greatest part the youths can play is to gradually hijack and dominate the political space by gaining a foothold during the next electoral cycle, effectively utilizing their numeric strength, thereby, facilitating their access to power over time. Certainly, it would be a Herculean task with the huge stolen resources available to the old guard that would hardly want to relinquish power voluntary. But it is not a mission impossible, if the youths would have sincerity of purpose towards the collective goal and shun the lure of filthy lucre by the political elite.

There is the need for continuous advocacy and mass mobilization of the youths to effectively participate in the political process. They should be encouraged to register and form the bulk of membership of effective political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections and participate fully in their primaries, at all levels, to enable them push forward youthful candidates with ideas. It should not really be a question of making the choice of which party the youths should belong to, since the differentiations between the various parties are indistinguishably blurred. The important thing is for the youths to take over serious political parties from the old political opportunity hunters.

Importantly, the role of the youths in the democratic revolution must also involve a significant change in their attitudes and adverse role played by them previously goaded on by the selfish political elite. They will also have to discard hate, the narrow ethnic perceptions and past system of political maneuvers of the old guard that merely brought them and generality of Nigerians untold hardship and misery at the end.

Despite the fact that the youths would be fighting against heavy odds such as lack of a formidable financial base and unwillingness of the old guard to give them opportunity, it would be a monumental disaster, if the youths do not exhibit the strong will as well as have the corresponding discipline and responsibility in the next attempt to salvage Nigeria come 2023. Nigeria is richly endowed by God in terms of human and material resources, and has no reason to remain under-developed after 60 years of attaining independence. Nigerian youths must take the front seat for the desired change that we require in our country