There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a nation that gives careful consideration to the situation of her young people. A couple of cases in the national history have supported the young Nigerians with unique excellence. This is exemplified in the case of Yabuku Gowon who became the head of state at 32 and Shehu Shagari who emerged the Federal Legislator at the age of 30. In the contemporary Nigeria, there is a dire shortage of young Nigerians occupying the political positions either because of alienation or disempowerment or their political apathy. Thus, I shall critically examine the prominent roles of the young Nigerians in the contemporary democratic politics.
The discourse in relation to the young Nigerians and their roles in the contemporary democracy seems to be endless; this is essentially because the cliché “youths are the leader of tomorrow” remains elusive. In Nigeria today, we are operating a democratic system of family or unsatisfied ruling and this is no wonder parallel to the then ambition of our former 68years old president, Olusegun Obasanjo who anticipated to contest for the third term after him and other older presidents have led the country into disarray. In light of this, the marginalization of young Nigerians and their disempowerment cannot be well addressed unless the young are fully engaged in the Nigeria’s policy making and governance processes.
To wrap up, the focus of young Nigerians should be shifted from entertainment and sport thereby paying keen attention to politics. The role of the young is not only to criticize on the social media but also to deploy the slogan of a black American activist, Malcolm X (“either the ballot or the bullet”) in advancing the progress of this country and to also take what rightfully belong to us because the youth usually constitute 56% of the votes.
RUFAI A. I.
Team Member
Wordsmith Support