”Unless the youths are given the space to take responsibilities, to become accountable, be part of governance, be part of decision making, given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, we cannot say the youths have failed”.
These were the words of founder Baywood Foundation Emperor Chris Baywood at his book launch in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The book titled Beyond Rhetoric; Youth Empowerment and Political Voice In Nigeria condemns the much talks and less-action attitude of the nation to utilise its major demographic component for the progress of the country. It also awakens the minds of the youth and an advocacy to stop the marginalization of youths in the country. It is a compendium of 401 pages that runs through 18 chapters.
Baywood posited an affirmative action be done rather than lip services to engage youths mostly in the political sphere of the country.
He said the Nigerian youths are circumstantial victims of many anomalies ranging from joblessness, crimes, violence, cultism, sexual promiscuity and worst still, they have no voice.
“The situation of the Nigerian youths can be explained by my own parable as the abandon children. We allow our youth to waste. How can we not take advantage of 40million people? They are the access for the future”.
“The book is my own contribution to humanity as a legacy to remember for. Life is not just about making money or resounding success. This is what I have lived for, dreamt of, worked for. Some may politics, activism but I call it ministry of help, giving back to the society. I have found my reason on earth, to put smiles on faces especially the endangered species- the youths. I represent the voice of the voiceless. I dedicate the book to all Nigerian youths and I invite them to champion this course” He said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Emmanuel Ijewere described title of the book as a statement of castigation, a statement of correcting what is wrong.
He said the political space has been dominated by the wrong age group intoxicated with power, money that they have failed to recognize the potential of the youths. To this effect, he advised that rather than affirmative action, a direct action should be adopted.
“The average age of people contesting for president today is 70. If at 70 you have refused to give up how will you ever expect the 50s and 60s to give up. We know that those who have the money and power under no circumstance would they voluntarily hand over the money or power to you. Youths rise up, nobody will give you anything. Do not sit down because these people will never give up. Get focused. Understand and see the weakness of those who were there before you. Take advantage of it and change Nigeria”.
The Guest Speaker, Dr Hussani Abdu, explained that historically, the youths were actively involved in the early formative years of the country. They spearheaded the anti-colonial struggles, the first military coup and even the civil war.
“It is important that we mainstream the youths. We need to put them in their place. The bulk of the people that led the pre democracy struggles for Nigeria are the youths but on the verge of transition, the young people were kept off.
Why is it that despite the historical role that they played, they cannot replicate that in this dispensation?
He summited that the 30years military rule distorted the leadership intellectual process of the country.
Abdu noted that there is a clear difficulty of the society to understand what constitute the youth, what they want, how they want it and what should be done.
He also frowns at the nature of politics that undermines youth candidacy and the constitutional age range that is unfavorable for youth to participate. Also, the expensive nature of politics is of concern.
Rather than capitalize on the strength of the youth, he said, the nation has criminalized and associated them to all sort of societal ills. This seclusion he noted has made them to speak from their informal space using the social media, but yet little or no attention is accorded to them.
Leave a Reply