There seems to be a paradigm shift in Nigeria’s political space as the nation’s young minds are gradually rediscovering their voices, dominating the media spaces with the buoyant message of building a new Nigeria while hoping the crucial 2023 elections will herald a redemptive path.
Energetic as they seem, the teeming youth population – who possess the influence to inspire positive change and the capacity to cause an upswing in different sectors across the nation – are eagerly anticipating casting their votes for their respective choice of candidates.
But, as campaigns gather steam, will these potential leaders, who make up a huge proportion of eligible voters and will likely determine the next crop of elected officials, stay the course and change the old narrative of the class system in politics or will they surrender their bright future and remain hirelings for moneybags politicians?
Miffed by the prevailing challenges confronting the nation including worsening insecurity, rising unemployment level, waning educational standard and dwindling economy, the youths, in recent times, have on several occasions aired their grievances through protests and different fora but their complaints have, obviously, not yielded the expected solution.
While some observers attribute the building momentum to the “Not Too Young to Run” Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari prior to the 2019 election to accommodate more candidates in their youthful age to run for president, governorship, seats in the national assemblies and the state houses of assembly with a view to increasing opportunities for youths to take part in the decision-making process of government.
Others linked the upward surge of the interest of the youths in the run-up to the poll to the never-ending call for good governance because, according to them, the current state of poverty is reaching a harrowing proportion if urgent steps are not taken to address the problem.
Despite the rallying cry among the youthful population, a recent preliminary report released by Yaiga Africa, a Non-Government Organisation, on the “youth candidacy in the 2023 elections in Nigeria” showed that there was a drop in the numbers of youth candidacies from the figure gathered in 2018 against 2023.
According to the report, youth candidacy recorded a decline from 34 percent in the 2019 election to 28.6 percent in the 2023 elections.
The report also showed that youth candidacy for the House of Representatives plunged from 27. 4 percent in 2019 to 21.6 percent in 2023. Similarly, the state house of assembly also dropped from 41.8 percent in 2019 to 35.6 percent in 2023.
For the total number of youth candidates contesting for various positions, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ranks third, Labour Party (LP) came fifth, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came 13th while the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ranks 15th.
“Key findings by Yiaga Africa from the 2023 candidates analysis also indicate that 43.2 per cent of youth candidates in the 2023 elections were direct beneficiaries of Not-too-Young-to-Run-Act. Moreover, of the 15, 336 candidates on the ballot in the 2023 elections, 4, 398 are youth candidates, with only 1,899 between the ages of 25-30 years,” the report shows.
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It is worthy of note that most Nigerian leaders such as the likes of Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo and Yakubu Gowon who ruled the country prior to democracy got into power at a younger age.
Ben Bowei, President and founder of the Niger Delta Volunteers For Good Governance (NDVFGG), told BusinessDay that the youths seek a new face of Nigeria, but the stumbling block is the “mental poverty” constraining their decisions.
“This is what appears to be a vitiating factor or setback to the not too young to run law, or even when the youths are being elected or appointed to handle high leadership positions in Nigeria.
“Nigerian youths are in two categories. The category who doesn’t know what they want and are always present in all political gatherings, whether for Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar or Bola Tinubu provided they receive a token of money. These set of youths are the ones who are not just suffering from financial poverty but mental poverty. Any politician who can afford to pay some money can always buy their conscience.
“The second category of Nigerian youths is the set of youths who knows what they want. But, in this category, we have two clusters; there are those who actually know what they want but do not know how to go about it. That is why you find some youths who just clamour for Peter Obi and they tell you they are obedient without any interrogation. Some are involved in it because they actually seek a new face of Nigerian politics or leadership without any scrutiny or interrogating who this new face of Nigeria should be.
“There are other sets of Nigerian youths who actually know what they want and know how to go about it. These sets of youths will not just sing for Peter Obi, clap hands for Atiku, dance for Tinubu or praise Rabiu Kwakwanso. They do what they are doing upon conviction. They must have salient opinions or reasons for supporting any of the candidates they are supporting,” Bowei said.
Bright Oniovokukor, project director, of Indomitable Youths Organisation (IYO), a non-governmental organisation, urged the youths to clamour not for change but a “better change”.
“The age group referred to as youths are actually the bridge between childhood and adulthood. The youths are advertorial, they are inquisitive. They use available information to form their notion hence the system in place can readily manipulate them.
“Considering the population of the youths in the society, there are enough youths to stand for any other candidates without supporting another. However, there are some who have participated in APC, PDP and LP rallies. The reason is not far-fetched considering that some of them want to be adventurous to tell the story, some for gains while others may be compelled for one reason or the other.
“The youths have been conditioned to act, react and behave the way the society has been structured. They act based on the information at their disposal. What you see or read is a major influence on how you think, hence youths with limited information or exposure can easily be brainwashed.
“Even as the youths are unemployed, kept impoverished, used as thugs or all manner of vices in the society, the onus still lies on the leaders to make deliberate efforts to change the narratives. The youths do not have a choice to conform to the system they grow up to meet.
“We cannot continue to blame the youths for being willing tools in the hands of politicians, however, they have a role to play in choosing the seemingly harder right than the lesser wrong. The system also should encourage them to follow the harder right.
“Once the system is functional, our youths will know where and how they can fit as well as become productive. Nigerian youths need a system that is working; a system without ethnic, religious or cultural bias; a system that rewards merit and hard work; a system where no one is above the law and a system where standards are maintained,” Oniovokukor stressed.
Omobude Agho, former coordinator general of Edo Civil Society Organisation (EDOCSO), said “Nigeria as a country has put all and sundry including the teeming youths in a state of total frustration to the extent that most people are not sure of what they want.”
Also speaking, Olu-Derimon Omaghomi, secretary Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Western zone which comprises Delta, Edo and Ondo States, urged youths to take responsibility for their actions.
“As much as the youths need well-paid jobs or need to be empowered, they should be responsible. One of our challenges in this country is that we are not taking responsibility for our actions.
“Generally, it is not about old age. You don’t need the government because everything is within our reach in terms of information and access to technology. We don’t have to be involved in politics before we can become leaders of tomorrow.
“What we are currently seeing in the political space such as the large turnout of persons collecting Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) was informed by the problems facing Nigeria. The truth is that the situation in Nigeria is worrisome. The fact that things are not working, the system is not palatable and the youths feel the only way to change the status quo is to utilise the ballot,” Omaghomi said.
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