Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, has expressed that Nigerian youths cannot be ignored anymore in the politics and governance of the country. He added that these young people are increasingly and actively influencing the course of the nation. The minister stated these while rendering his keynote address at the African/National Youth Day celebration which was held in Abuja. The theme of the occasion was “Breaking Barriers to Meaningful Participation and Inclusion in Advocacy.” However, its sub-theme was “Bridging the Intergenerational Gap to Harness Youth Potentials.”
Dare revealed that the Federal Government’s youth policy seeks to ensure a progressive and substantive inclusion of young people in political and decision-making processes at all levels in the country. He acknowledged that there has been a global shift to youth inclusion in governance. Consequently, Nigeria with its teeming youth population cannot be an exception, he says. He said that young people have been shaping social and economic innovations, challenging social norms and values, and breaking new grounds. He also mentioned that the connectedness granted by the internet has allowed them to influence the situation of things even from remote locations.
From End SARS to a clamor for a new party candidate.
Since 2017, young people in Nigeria started protesting the alleged illegal extortion, arrest, torture and killing of youths in Nigeria by the infamous (SARS) Special Anti-Robbery Squad, which was attached to the Nigerian Police Force. Youths, especially young men, reported being profiled and targeted. They reported being harassed and unlawfully frisked at gunpoint. Some also reportedly said that they were taken to ATM points to withdraw cash before being freed. Some have also reported that family and friends suddenly went missing after an encounter with the squad. This set off a series of protests, majorly online.
In 2020, the youths were truly tired of the brutality meted out by the squad and the rest of the armed service in the country. For several weeks, youths gathered en masse and protested at different places. The most notables of those places are at the Lekki Toll Gate (Victoria Island, Lagos), Alausa (Ikeja, Lagos), and Eagle Square (Abuja). These protests shook the nation, traffic stood still, businesses in affected areas paused. Particularly, the Lekki Toll Gate was blocked by protesters and the management of the toll failed to generate any income during this period.
Failure to achieve more with the protest resulted in interest in politics.
In an anti-climactic turn of event, the nationwide protests morphed into a violent array of events. First, there was an alleged shooting of protesters by the Nigerian Army at the Lekki Toll Gate. Also, thugs and looters had invaded the streets, causing mayhem. It was safe to say that while there was rest for several months after this incident, the youth felt that the protests were a failure and they needed to do more to have lasting solutions.
This necessitated their move into politics. Majority of those who had had a part in the protest have pitched their support for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, who was the former governor of Anambra State. Initially, he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while the youth also protested that he be given the ticket to contest the presidency. A few days to the PDP primaries, Mr. Obi changed his party and joined the Labour Party.
The minister says the youth face many challenges.
Chief Dare noted that the Nigerian youth face many obstacles, some of which include discrimination, marginalization, and lack of access to opportunities and voice on decision-making. However, in an amazing move, Mr. Obi has had massive support from the youth who believe that this is one of the ways to influence happenings in the country. It is therefore right that the influence of youths in politics and the administration of the country is not belittled. Rather, it should be encouraged because the country needs all hands-on deck to salvage the situation.
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It’s true that the Nigerian youths can no longer be left out or overlooked in matters of the nation presently because they are really organized and ready to have their influence in the presence governance and they are taking the right steps in the right direction
Young people are becoming an increasingly influential and engaged force in shaping the nation’s future.
The goal of the federal government’s youth policy is to give young people a greater voice in politics and policymaking across the country.
Youths are very important in politics as the headline espoused. If the youths don’t participate in politics in the right way, they might be the tools used to disrupt the political activities in the country. So we need to encourage the youths to join politics.
The youths power of say and the level of contribution in politics in recent years cannot be overemphasized. Either we like it or not, youths are rapidly evolving when it comes to politics matter and we will all witness it in the coming 2023 election.
The youth will be a great help in politics so the youth need to be engaging in politics so we that also govern the country make them allow youth govern and see the quality and power of the youth
We are referring to future leaders here! one of the ways to influence happenings in the country is by having supports by the the youth and getting them involved.
The minister just wake up today and realised youth is very important in politics,all this is just political talk which doesn’t make any meaning to the Nigeria politicians.
The problems of this country is those old folks who have refused to leave power to the youth but rather play more dangerous political games. The youth are more than willing to engage in politics so that they can decide their future.
Our old politicians should please give the youth chance in politics and not suppress them they way they have been doing. One painful thing is that this set old politicians keep recycling themselves in most political positions. They are not willing to back down.
We, the young people of Nigeria, are increasingly and actively influencing the path that our country will take, and therefore, we can no longer be ignored in the politics and governance of our country.
The youth policy of the Federal Government aims to ensure a progressive and substantial inclusion of young people in political and decision-making processes across the country at all levels.
We ought to be aware that there has been a shift toward young inclusion in governance on a worldwide scale. Therefore, Nigeria, with its bulging number of young people, cannot be an exception to this rule.
They are able to have an impact on the current state of affairs, despite the fact that they are located in far-flung regions, thanks to the connection made possible by the internet; this is highly beneficial for us in order to assure the growth of the country.
As we are all aware, the nationwide protests took a rather violent turn, ruining what could have been a dramatic climax. At the Lekki Toll Gate, protesters say the Nigerian military opened fire on them.
The young people of Nigeria are confronted with a multitude of challenges, some of which include discrimination, marginalization, and a lack of access to opportunities and a voice in decision-making processes.
Problems in this country stem from the fact that the elderly have refused to cede power to the younger generation in favor of less savory political games. Young people are eager to participate in politics and have their voices heard in order to shape the future of their country.
Nigerian youths cannot be ignored in Nigerian politics and governance. For all the years Youth have been the problem of thereselves. But now they are ready for better change. Youth have right to participate in any politics
Inclusion of the youths in politics and decision making of the country is really essential. These people who have been in power for decades and just keep passing the baton among themselves need to give the youth. The persistent turmoil in the country has awakened a good number of the youth.
Nigerian youth face a variety of difficulties, some of which include prejudice, marginalization, a lack of access to opportunities, and the absence of a voice in decision-making.