Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North in The Senate today delivered this year’s independence lecture of the Federation of Oyo State Students Union, FOSSU to mark Nigeria’s 57th anniversary as a nation.
At the event which took place at the Assembly Hall of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Buhari donated a brand new bus to the union to ease mobility and extended financial assistance to the unuon.
Buhari, who is a former member of the House of Representatives, was also honoured.
Present at the event were ex-deputy chief of staff to former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Alhaji Rasaq Gbadegesin, ex-ALGON chairman, Hon. Yekinni Popoola, chairmen of local government areas in the state, Hon. Niyi Adeagbo (Itesiwaju), Adeyemo Adedeji (Ogbomoso South West) a former lawmaker, Hon. Kolade Olagunju and a permanent secretary, Mrs Hannah Ogunesan.
Delivering a lecture on Not-Too-Young-To-Run, Buhari, who chairs the Senate Committee on Information Communication Technology, (ICT) and Cybercrime, explained that Nigerian youths have not position themselves with the required focus, coordination and political will to challenge the elders for them to hold public offices.
The Senate had on July 26, 2017 and House of Representatives on July 27, 2017 passed into law the ‘Not Too Young To Run Bill’ meant to amend the age requirements to run for public offices. The Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee and Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, had July 20, 2017, laid the bill on the floor of the Senate.
According to Buhari, “Researches have shown that apart from obsession of African leaders to power, Africans and most especially Nigerian youths are their own worst enemy. Looking at their percentage and their numerical strength, they ought to be dictating who gets what, when and how in our political space and even in the country at large.
“But it is quite unfortunate they are not coordinated and lacks the political will to challenge the elders. According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics 70 per cent of the Nigeria population are youthful and United Nations estimated nearly 50 per cent of the developing world population to be youths and children.”
Buhari, however, challenged Nigerian youth that the time has finally come for them “to swing into action and break the jinx of the long awaited tomorrow which may never come and start leading from today.”
“The emergence of Vanessa D’Ambrosio (29 years) in San Marino, Kim Jong –un (32 years) in North Korea, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (35 years) in Qatar, Charles Michel (38 years) in Belgium, Emmanuel Macron (39 years) in France and Justin Trudeu 42 years in Canada to mention few marks the gradual revolution of the younger generation of the leaders around the globe in the last couple of years. Even United States of America gave Barrack Obama a chance at the age of 47 years,” he added.
He stated further that there are fears over readiness of the youth to take over from the elders as there are questions over whether they have the political sagacity to challenge the elders ot they possess the experience or the wherewithal to deliver.
“In contrast today Nigeria youths have lost focus and been relegated to ordinary internet warriors, e – rats, fraudsters and political thugs arguing subjectively, illogically and irrationally in support of their pay masters, ethnic and religious colouration. Instead of using internet as strength, they have turned it to triviality and use it to blackmail, defraud and all sort of immoralities. As chairman of senate committee on ICT and cybercrime I know the report I receive on daily basis,” he said.
He suggested ten ways the youth and the leadership of the country should consider for the betterment of all and sundry, saying the government should holistically tackle the issue of poverty and youth empowerment in order to get the youths engaged and make them shun thuggery and other vices.
He continued: “Government should set up leadership training institute or include compulsory leadership courses in the curriculum of schools starting from secondary schools. This will prepare future identified or interested talents in leadership know how and qualities. Government policies and programmes on politics should be directed towards encouraging the youth and they should be carried along in policies that will directly affect them.
“The Nigeria youths must shun apathy and actively participate and involve in politics at all levels. This will allow them contest party primaries and increase their chances of emerging.
“Political parties must encourage the youths to participate in politics by involving them in decision making and stop imposition and selection of candidates by fiat. They need to encourage open, free and fair party primaries for popular candidates to emerge.
“In order to attain leadership position Nigeria youths must put aside religious and ethnic sentiments and see the development of the country as their project and ideology. They are advised to unite, speak with one voice and work as a team if they want to attain the leadership position in our beloved country.
“They also need to equip themselves intellectually through training and retraining because leadership position requires sound education and a lot of experience. Nigeria youth are also advised to take more and meaningful advantage of the internet and social media other than their present arrogance, uncoordinated and unproductive usage. Therefore they should use their power and knowledge of ICT as a strength to develop our democracy.
“Also the youth must not stand akimbo, they should show the leadership qualities in them. In most developed countries they head hunt talents. Obama, Macron and other young leaders were headhunted in their respective countries,” he opined.
