By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Nigerian youths have been charged to continue to leverage their huge population and power of the new media to constructively engage governments and negotiate for quality representation, among other legitimate demands.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, gave the charge on Tuesday in Ilorin at the 24th Inauguration Ceremony and Launch of “The HERO Magazine”, produced by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Kwara State axis.
He said it wasn’t enough for young persons to agitate for right leadership and good governance in the country without participating actively in the processes that produce their representatives across the board.
The publication which was dedicated to the Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, highlighted some of the sectoral achievements of the administration.
“Youths in this country need to marry their ownership of the new media space with a strong presence in the ‘real world’ of participatory politics and mass engagement. If you want to see persons who understand your positions in government offices, you need to be in the room where delegates for shadow elections are chosen. You need to ensure that candidates standing in an election emerge from a process that you took part in,” he said.
“You cannot complain that political parties presented ‘never-do-wells’ as their candidates, thereby limiting your choices at the general election, when you stay away from the process that produces them.
The CPS, whose lecture was themed ‘Bridging the gap between the students and government: the future of the Nigerian Youths, Opportunities and Challenges’, noted that there is hardly a gap to bridge between the youth and government, considering the size of young persons and students that are now involved in different positions of authority nationwide.
The event was well attended by the State Commissioner for Tertiary Education Dr Mrs Mary Arinde; Commissioner for Youth Development Hon. Nafisat Buge; Special Assistant to the Governor on Students Affairs Comrade Wasiu Onidugbe; Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic Dr. Jimoh Abdul; Senator Khairat AbdulRazaq who was represented by Prof Saudat AbdulBaqi; leaders of various students’ unions; and dozens of students.
Arinde and Buge, in their separate remarks, said the administration is walking the talk by putting high premium on the welfare of students and trusting the young persons with leadership positions.