Former
President Olusegun Obasanjo is worried about the anger and frustration of
youths.
He said if
the youth’s anger is not well-managed, it could lead to an “explosion”.
Obasanjo
spoke yesterday at the Youth Governance Dialogue organised by the Youth
Development Centre, an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library
(OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He lamented
that youths were not getting the required help.
The former
president noted that while his generation had “limitless opportunities but no
facilities” in their time, the youth of today “have facilities but little or no
opportunities”.
He cited the
insurgency in the Northeast, the separatist agitators in the Southeast and
militancy in the Niger Delta region as manifestations of anger and frustrations
from disillusioned youths.Obasanjo warned that should anger of youths erupt,
there might be no limit to the extent it could spread.
He appealed
to the youth to work hard to help themselves and be ready to pay the price for
the right cause they believe.
But he said
despite all odds, the youth still remained his greatest hope for Nigeria.
Obasanjo
noted that when he left secondary school, he received letters of appointments
from five establishments and wondered whether any Nigerian university graduate
could have such opportunities today.
He pleaded
with the nation’s youth not to wish the
elders dead, saying they need the elders as mentors and advisers in
their journey of life.
“Don’t wish
us dead; don’t wish us to disappear because you will need us. You need us as
mentors and advisers to mentor and prepare you for the future. You need the
experience and assistance of some of us to guide you through life.
“You should
not lose hope, you should not feel frustrated. Whenever I go, they always ask
me what is my fear about Nigeria and Africa. And I said my greatest fear is
youth anger, frustrations and youth explosion, which have no bound.
“We have the
Boko Haram in the North, the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) in the Southeast, the militants in the Niger Delta and
the Oodua Peoples Congress in the Southwest. All of these are expression of
anger and frustrations.
“We have
what it takes to be great as a nation and we can’t transform this country
without the youth. My greatest hope in this country is also the youth. You the
youth should work to help yourselves. You must be ready to pay the price for
what you stand for,” Obasanjo said.
The lead
speaker and former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka who spoke on the theme: “Towards a Guiding
Political Philosophy for a Democratic Nigeria,” advised that the nation’s
leaders should build a society that
harness human and material resources effectively, provide equal opportunities
and develop capacity for innovation.
Chidoka
proposed a new charter for the country, saying the charter should contain reasons
for the country’s unity, and which guarantees the basic rights, privileges and
obligations of citizens.
“Our
national aspirations should inspire the next generation and provide them with
the existential meaning of Nigeria; a meaning that transcends geography,
natural resources and ethnicity. To grow Nigeria, we must build a society that
harness human resources, provides equal opportunities and develop capacity for
innovation.
Sokoto State
Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who spoke on the topic:”Preparing Successor Generation
for Effective Participation in Governance”, urged leaders to put structure in
place for the youth to advance to position of leadership.
“We cannot
keep calling them the leaders of tomorrow without ensuring that we put in place
deliberate measures that will aid their quest for public service.
“Sometimes
candour and youthful excitement can cause as much harm as the most venal form
of corruption.
“We have to
find the means to reduce unemployment. There is no doubt that the current
diversification policy of President Buhari government will eventually provide
broader opportunities for self-employment,” Tambuwal said.
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