A Professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, has urged students to gear up for leadership positions.
Olurode spoke at the 2018 Annual Conference of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Afe Babalola Multipurpose Hall, Akoka.
He enjoined them to show more interest in governance.
Olurode, who is also the Chairman of UNILAG Muslim Community, urged political parties to make the NotTooYoungToRun drive effective in the upcoming general election.
He said: “Governance has nothing to do with age, everybody should aspire to it. Take for example the huge amount of money APC placed on nomination forms, I expect the President (Muhammadu Buhari) to condemn this act as it is not a good omen for the country.”
The don lamented that majority of aspiring youths would not be able to afford the “huge amount of money” placed on nomination forms by leading political parties in Nigeria.
Voice of Nigeria (VON) Deputy Director of Programmes Alhaji AbdurRasak Abdssalam expressed concerns over the readiness of the youth to take up leadership challenges.
“The issue is that some of the youths of today are also too corrupt to take up from the elders. They are ill-prepared to face the challenges, but going forward, Nigerian youths have to possess the quality in academic excellence, professional competence, hardworking and spiritual guidance to excel,” he said.
MSSN Amir (President) Dr Saheed Ashafa advocated that one of the ways to get youths in leadership position is the reviewing of Nigeria Constitution to define the age range of youth.
He said this would help checkmate the political actors, who have in recent times, exploited the gap in the constitution.
“Youth leadership can be encouraged by making the participation in political process easy and pocket-friendly. A situation where one needs to possess millions of naira to purchase interest and nomination form is a way to discourage youths and it is worrisome. Being a leader in Nigeria should not be subjected to being rich. Good leaders are not necessarily rich personalities.
“It is advisable that there should be a clause defining the youth demography in the constitution. Youth engagement in leadership has great potential for facilitating national growth and development,” he added.