• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Nigeria making big mistake by failing to harness youth potential – Atedo Peterside

$1.5bn for Port Harcourt refinery repair can build 12 world-class hospitals – Peterside

Nigeria is making a big mistake by not harnessing the potentials of its growing youthful population, Atedo Peterside, renowned investment banker and founder of Anap Foundation, said on Thursday.

Peterside said the country has made it difficult for youths to attain positions on merit in various public organisations, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Central Bank, among others.

The renowned economist and founder of Stanbic IBTC, who spoke on ‘The Platform’, a programme organised by Poju Oyemade, senior pastor and founder of The Covenant Nation, said Nigeria must create opportunities for the youths to have rights to compete for any position both in the public and private space.

“The country cannot move forward when most things are gotten through influence. There needs to be a level playing field for people to compete,” Peterside said.

Peterside, speaking on the programme aired on Channels Television, noted that in Nigeria today, the bulk of the youths are completely disenfranchised. Little wonder they easily get lured into banditry and kidnapping.

According to him, Nigeria’s democracy is in danger as people not eligible to take on leadership find their ways into leading the country.

“The easiest way to destroy democracy is by people being in power when they do not merit it,” he said.

He urged youths to speak up and claim their rights at all times.

“The youths of this period have an advantage. In our time, we were able to take on activism even though the military was in power, and that’s why we were able to deliver the much-needed democracy. This time, the only activism needed of the youths is to restore our democracy which was fought for,” he said.