Nigerian youth must actively participate in politics in order to sustain democracy and transform the economy, the Director of the Independent Campaign Council BAT/BOS, Fuad Atanda-Lawal has said.
Speaking at an event tagged: ‘Exclusive Valentine Interaction with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu,’ in Lagos, Atanda-Lawal, who is the chairman of Ikoyi-Obalende LCDA, sensitized students on how to exercise their rights in the forthcoming election.
According to him, youth involvement in politics goes a long way in ensuring that the country has a peaceful transition from student life into work life and active participation in the political process.
“The youths are the future and that future that we’ve always talked about is now. We need their involvement in everything. Youth involvement shouldn’t just be about winning elections or when it comes to campaigning for elections. Their involvement goes a long way in ensuring that we have this peaceful transition from student life into work life, and also for them to be active participants in the political process,” he said.
He commended the Lagos State Governor for rising up for students during the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
“There’s no gain saying that what our governor has done in Lagos State, we can’t overemphasize it. When schools were on strike nationwide, we had students from our state-own institutions going to schools. They were fully functional, and it proves that Sanwo-Olu has done well and deserves a second term in office.”
Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Ijanikin, Prof. Balikis Lafiaji-Okuneye during her presentation as a guest speaker, emphasised the need to educate the youth on the importance of election participation.
Deputy Director of the Student Mobilization Committee, Adeola Oloyede urged Nigerian youth to equip themselves with leadership skills and competence to sustain democracy. He advised the government and other political education agencies to develop a pragmatic political education.