Youth in Ondo state politics should be Great

Let’s acknowledge and celebrate what youths can do to build a safer, more just world. We must double our efforts to include young people in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their future and ours in Ondo State.”

The responsibility is on us to protect the interests of the Ondo State youths and their destinies should be in their hands, aiming at enhancing and increasing opportunities for youths to contribute to our democratic governance in the state. The main goal is to promote inclusive politics which will guarantee a level-playing field for all and encourage adult-youth partnership in public governance which is in-line with international best practice, inclusiveness of youths in affairs of the state and entire nation will bring sense of responsibility to them, thereby limits youths involvement in political hooliganism, gangster-ism, racketeering, violence and thuggery.

The Ondo State youths constitute the largest constituency of over 63% of the 475,000 metro area population which amounts to at least 299,250 youths. It is worrisome how these able bodied and energetic individuals have been schemed out and marginalized from governance.

Some have argued that Ondo State youths in politics of today are inexperienced and not ripe enough to govern, but I must point out clearly that such minds are still living in the dark- age , failed to delve into the history and have refused to realign themselves with the present realities around the world.

Experience and evidence have shown that youths are change makers, critical thinkers, innovators, communicators and natural leaders.

There is an argument from older generations that young Nigerians of this present time are not good enough to become leaders. This I must say, is baseless, just a mere illusion, only existing in the world of ideas and dream-land. Nigerian youths of today are critical thinkers, change makers, innovators, communicators, influencers and enterprising but forced to use their talents and God given gifts in negative ways because these potentials were not positively harnessed .

The notion that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow is no longer working and fashionable. This assertion has not made the youths to be only relegated and marginalized, but has made them wait endlessly with retrogressive mind-set. The old Nigerian leaders, who had ruled 30 years ago, are still the set of people ruling today, so when will the “tomorrow” of Nigerian youths come? The answer is: ‘tomorrow is now’ and we are the leaders of ‘today’ not ‘tomorrow’ anymore. We must possess our possession, and take our inheritance within the political space, as it takes a young mind to understand the thinking, wants and needs of the young people.

We must realise that we have a formidable tool at our disposal which will cost us nothing; all we need is to be committed, visionary, action- minded , and engaged ourselves with it. The tool we have is the ‘Number’, the ‘population’, since politics is a game of number, and if youths alone are over 60 percent of Nigeria total population, then we can out-number any group or age bracket within the current political atmosphere.

Here is 2023 renewed hope, let our youths renew our interests in politics, have a common voice in unity, vision and take our future in our own hands. Remember, the time is now!

Peoplesmind