By Agbo Agbo
That the youth have the numerical strength, knowledge and energy to positively change their condition is not in doubt. But how this can materialise in the real world remains the utmost challenge. In the real world of political economy, no one creates power – economic and political – and simply hands over to another. There are layers of power which are intricately interwoven and harnessing these layers takes time, tact, strategic alliances and a host of other factors. Governance is equally an aspect of power different from politics. This is a fact that has not yet sunk into the psyche of the nation. The youth must be willing to be taught and they need a leadership that could give them the chance. But to naively think they have all it takes to perform better than those ruling Nigeria now is to live in a fool’s paradise.
I remember succinctly an episode that took place during the fifth edition of “The Bola Tinubu Colloquium” held as part of activities marking the 61st birthday of the former Lagos State governor now national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC). After mounting the rostrum for a brief remark, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi Lamido – the recently dethroned Emir of Kano – charged the youth present at the event to form political movements and take their destiny in their hands. He said they can make a huge difference by their share size.
Asiwaju Tinubu – being the political strategist that he is – immediately countered Sanusi. He appealed to the youths to join forces with then emerging APC which will have a firm political structure in place to meet their aspirations. “I disagree with my brother and friend Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who says youth may form their party.” Tinubu said. “Politics is not economic policy where you can change a bank note. If only to merge, some people are already forging names, and trying to prevent the creation of APC (before the party was registered), you can imagine what you will go through.”
Both Asiwaju Tinubu and ex Emir Sanusi made credible points. After listening to youth leaders present eloquent positions on how Nigeria can make progress, Sanusi was convinced that the answer lies in the youths forming their own political movement which can translate to a full-fledged party later. On the other hand, Tinubu who has been in the “field” for years knows it will not be as easy as it sounds hence his appeal to join forces.
This was during the epic battle for the registration of the APC. Recollect that a party, the African People’s Congress with party flag and offices was formed – over night – to checkmate the APC. What happened to that “party” and its founders?
The point I’m trying to make with this story is that you must participate in a movement to benefit from victory when it comes. I say this against the backdrop of starting from somewhere. I must state categorically here that I am a firm believer of youth participation in governance, but it will be naïve for anyone to believe they can just stroll into power; it is far more complex than we think. The bottomline is this: to participate and benefit, you must be part of a struggle. There are two options available here. You either follow the Sanusi option of forming your own party or the Tinubu option of aligning with an existing party and walking your way through.
Beyond Nigeria, the issue of youth and governance has always been a contentious one. In a March 2015 paper titled “Does a politician’s age matter for policy?” researchers Alberto Alesina, Traviss Cassidy and Ugo Troiano started with this: “In 2012, the average age of European parliamentarians was 53 years. In the US, the average age of current Members of the House of Representatives is 57 years, and the average age of current Senators is 62 years.” With this research based figures Nigerian sceptics should know that they are not alone; even those we copied democracy from are passing through the same problem.
They added: “Motivated by the concern that aging electorates would increasingly select older politicians, the Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations advocates a right to vote from birth, exercised by parents as surrogates until the child reaches a certain age. Such a proposal reflects the conventional wisdom that a politician’s age influences policy choices. But does a policymaker’s age really matter? This is an empirical question which until recently had not been explored.”
They concluded: “it appears that political ambition – rather than ability or patience – drives the different policy choices of older and younger politicians.” Note that theirs was a research based article.
When it comes to governance, the key thing to note is active participation. Yes, technocrats are often called upon to assist but we must bear in mind this is at the behest of the leadership. There is thus a huge difference between being called upon and being an active participant.
This notwithstanding, I believe young people have great perspectives and ideas. By allowing them to voice their opinion we could be opening and moving our often toxic politics forward. Partaking in social organisations is prime opportunity for a young person to get involved. But how many of them are involved in a good and conscience based cause today? Yet it is through good causes that they can interact with those in power and through that understand the intricate nature of politics. They should also understand that active citizenship is equally a part of politics.
I will recommend that our youths borrow a leaf from the United Kingdom where youth parliament is open to 11-18 year olds who wish to use their voice in creative ways in order to bring about social change. This is both exciting and informative, as well as being open to everyone. Getting involved in these sorts of schemes is necessary if they wish to engage further with politics and get a deeper understanding of its complexities.
Despite the emasculation wrought by poor education, limited job opportunities, the average Nigerian youth is brimming with energy and optimism. This energy and optimism is bubbling over into enterprise, especially in the creative sector. This can be channeled for good into fighting for political change and good governance. But it requires young men and women of unimpeachable character and vision to rise above current challenges and show that they can cause change like they did using the social media during the 2015 elections.
“Politics,” says American political scientist Harold Lasswell “is who gets what, when and how.” His is perhaps the best definition of politics. In developed democracies, there is – to large extent – an understanding of this because there are institutions with high levels of independence to ensure this entails. But, this politics can be complex when it involves over 180 million people, over 250 tribes, religion and cultural sensibilities.
Nigeria has been, and may remain, one of the most interesting paradoxes in the world today. It is one of the most blessed nations with human and material resources but yet hobnobs amongst the poorest nations in the world. This results largely from failed leadership over the years. The youth bear the brunt of the crises in terms of poor access to health and education, joblessness, political exclusion and dimmed hope for the future. The current state of youth powerlessness and lack of political voice across the land suggests that this situation could get worse. Though the leadership of the country finds it pretty difficult to deny the social, economic and political crises in the land, they lack consensus on how to respond to the situation. This creates various types of social discontent in the society which has manifested in the glaring challenges we are presently passing through.
Leave a Reply