By Gabriel Oguntoyinbo

"Parents listen to your Children We are the LEADERS of tomorrow Try to pay our school fees And give us, sound education"

For some folks who had their primary education in Nigeria, I guess they'll be familiar with the above primary school lyrics which was basically to ginger students to remain focused at their early stage in life and become Nigeria’s future Leaders in whatever capacity they find themselves. 

Who then is a Leader? There are different ways to define this, but the key qualities of a Leader must be to have a clear vision and focus of making a dire situation better, having the genuine desire to understand the feelings of the people they lead and assuring them of a better future, against all odds. These qualities are complementary with accountability, empathy, maturity and in some cases, age especially if you find yourself leading a nation where the younger generation constitute majority of the population.

Many decades ago, we were told, right from our formative years, that we would steer the ship of governance of our beloved country, and for us to achieve this, we must be educated to make the best of decisions to direct our affairs in the right path. Alas, we've been scammed, and this won’t end anytime soon, unless we rise and take the challenge on ourselves and fight for what rightly belongs to us! 

Isn't it a shame that the names we heard during the 70’s and 80’s, are still being heard till today?

Audu Ogbeh, as a case in study, was the minister of communications under the Shagari led government in 1982 when he was 35, after he was previously the deputy speaker of Benue state house of assembly in 1979, at age 32 and up until 2019, he called the shots as Buhari's minister of agriculture. In my opinion, he has done his best in all capacities and now is the best time for him and his contemporaries in other regions to take the back seat and be elder statesmen (if they choose to) and assist in advisory capacities and allow the younger generation to make a difference in our nation.

A cursory look at the current cabinet of President Buhari shows that the youngest minister is the attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami at 48 years. This then makes me wonder if there is anybody amongst the younger generation worthy of a ministerial appointment in the present administration!

A succinct look at Nigeria's leadership trajectory shows that all our military heads of state between 1966 – 1979 took the mantle of leadership (albeit through a coup d’état) under the age of 45. The 1st democratically elected president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari took over at the age of 54. 

What then happened along the line that we now parade gerontocrats as the best to lead us and jettison our  youths?

I’ve read a handful of books, journals and articles in the past which details how Nigeria was indeed the giant of Africa, supporting other nations in their times of need (the apartheid struggle in South Africa and the deployment of ECOMOG troops in Liberia’s civil war are two great examples I’ll point out). 

There was a period when our official currency was of a higher value against the pound sterling! There was a high influx of immigrants into Nigeria. What then happened along the line that has thus made Nigeria a laughing stock amongst other nations, and not a force to be reckoned with any longer?

There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is presently in a state of disrepair due to the previous dysfunctional leadership it has had which thus gave rise to the current economic, security, political decay it’s citizens currently wallow in. 

To correct these ills, the major tool the electorates have in deciding who they can rely on in terms of leadership is the ballot box, using their permanent voters’ card.

Unfortunately, it can’t be said that Nigeria has had any election devoid of various forms of malpractices, and majorly, corruption.

Herein lies the crux of the matter.

An electoral system which has been destroyed on all fronts won’t be attractive for the resolute citizens to fully participate, especially youngsters who have the interest of the nation at heart. It is unimaginable that in some states, a contestant requires about N100 million to secure a seat as a house of assembly member. A continuation of this dubious practice will not augur well for the future leaders of the country as they’ll be solely focused on making all available political posts as a money-making venture. Hence the reason why you hardly see any tangible or meaningful projects being carried out as the funds are being embezzled to cover electioneering costs, mostly.

Guess what? I’m sure most of you reading this piece must have come across all I’ve written and now asking, what is the way forward? Great! This is where your attention is needed.

Now that the above scenario is not new to political watchers in the country, there needs to be a way forward which must be adopted as quickly as possible to show all seriousness in achieving this aim.

For the younger generation, one key solution in finding our path on the right track again, in my opinion, is for us to create platforms where we can assess the credibility of contestants amongst us, going forward. What are their antecedents, what are their managerial capabilities, how knowledgeable are they in various fields which will affect the lives of the citizens positively, how can they proffer solutions to issues bedevilling the country, what are their political ideologies, what political platform would they be contesting under, how will they fund their electioneering campaigns? These are serious questions that need to be asked before we can give our support to any of these contestants.

For those within our generation interested in contesting for elective positions, preferably in 2023, it is our duty as youths to rally round them, put them on their toes, and ask the questions set out above and as they relate to how the current situation can be better placed, and the future of the country can be put back on track. Infact, if necessary the youth with its numerical strength can have a political party chosen as a platform to actualise this. I agree this will be a daunting task, as every attempt by aspirants to indicate interest in political offices will be met with stiff resistance, like serious death threats until they back off.

However, engaging serious, active and willing contestants on the platform with make a stellar difference. 

As people of the younger generation, it is expedient for us to keep the hope of making Nigeria a better country. This goes beyond hurling insults on one another of different social media platforms daily. This is a time to reflect deeply and ask, what difference can one make at their active age in making Nigeria better?

As a result, I believe this is the time for the younger generation to rally round and do the needful by positioning ourselves to take the mantle of leadership, if we are desirous about putting the country back on track and make it the country we want it to truly be. 

It bothers me so much when I see youths canvassing for support on behalf of gerontocrats, whenever a presidential election, for example, is fast approaching! Why do we still rely on the same set of people who have stolen the nation blind, and who have caused the major decay in infrastructure, insecurity, unemployment, hunger et al which we daily complain about and which has caused the emigration of many youths to western countries?

A case in point is the current covid-19 pandemic which has brought the world to a standstill. In a country where you have a shortfall of medical professionals who have emigrated to mostly western countries due to the decay in the health sector, it's not a surprise how the pandemic has been badly managed in most states of the country. However, some states must be commended for the sterling efforts they've made in containing the virus, but they can do better. 

Looking at the economic sector, regarded as the life-wire of a nation, fresh ideas are needed daily to stem the tide of the pandemic. As a leader, in terms of crisis, it is pertinent to constantly address your audience (the populace) and re-assure them of what your government is doing in ensuring the casualties are contained and how they can assist in any way possible. 

At the state level, some state governors have deemed it fit to engage individuals under the age of 40 to be in their cabinet. Some great examples are in Anambra, Kwara and Cross river states where some commissioners are under the age of 40.

For me, these are great stories I like to read about as I believe these are people, who with their vast knowledge and exposure, will contribute to the betterment of their various states.

If this can be achieved at the state level, I see no reason why the government at the centre can't replicate this.

Enough of Nigerians who constitute most of the population carrying placards to show support for gerontocrats during electioneering campaign, and now is the time to come together and support those amongst us vying for various elective positions. This is a daunting task as the amount spent on campaigning and various rallies isn't child's play. One of the platforms will be focused on soliciting for funds for these contestants, and funds will be accounted for. As the bible says: the kingdom of heaven suffered violence and the violent take it by force, so we need to come together and realise our potentials by getting involved and participate in politics at all levels. 

I agree that the current political landscape in Nigeria is a dangerous path but collectively, we can make it better if we want it to be, rather than stand aloof and watch as the country gets destroyed daily. This involves the efforts of we younger generation at home and in the diaspora.

The next general election is 3 years away and I believe we can still make hay while the sun currently shines by actively participating in affairs that'll make the country a better place. IT IS IN OUR HANDS! #EndOfRant

Gabriel Oguntoyinbo (Business Consultant). 

This paper is a contribution to the NEW GENERATION LEADERSHIP, NGL Forum

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