By Joshua Olomu
Rev. Canon Ugochukwu Ndukuba of Basilica of Grace, Abuja Diocese of the Anglican Communion and leaders from different backgrounds have called on youth to participate more in the politics and governance process in Nigeria.
They made the call at a symposium on youth involvement in politics organised by the church on Friday.
The event with the theme, “Empowering the Next Generation: The Role of Youth in Politics”, brought together students and youths from diverse backgrounds.
According to the cleric and other stakeholders who served as resource persons at the symposium, youth involvement in Nigerian politics is crucial for them to have a voice in shaping their future.
Ndukuba said when youth are involved in leadership roles, they would be in a better position to advocate for policies and programmes that address unique needs and challenges faced by young people.
“We are celebrating our father’s week and alongside the politicians among us, we decided to organize this symposium to educate young people to be part of partisan politics.
“This is to expose them to what happens within the political space of our nation, and to encourage them to have political mentors to enable them to get prepared for political leadership.
“Interestingly, some of these political leaders happened to be staunch members of the Anglican communion and they are to share their experiences for our youth to get inspired for leadership.
“ As Christian youths, we also urged them to imbibe the virtues of selfless service as they prepare to be part of partisan politics
“The spirit of leadership is actually given by the Holy Spirit of God, and if you don’t have the spirit of God, you cannot be a God-fearing leader”, he said.
Sen.Nkechi Nwaogu said the Not-too-young to run’ law has offered opportunities for young Nigerians, and urged youths to shun the negative notion of politics being a dirty game, and get involved in active politics.
According to her, the act of engaging in politics itself is not dirty, but the individuals involved may be influenced by personal ambition and selfish interests.
“You see, the negative aspect of not getting involved in politics is that the wrong people you do not want to lead you will be the ones making decisions that will affect everybody.
“I want to encourage the youth to come on board, to begin to sanitise the political space and the society
“Some of the youths keep saying they don’t understand politics; start with one issue you care about, there must be something that is bothering you, you don’t have to be master of it all.
“It is about understanding issues, holding leaders accountable, and ensuring your community is represented with integrity.
“Say no to political apathy and say yes to building the future you want,If you are not at the table, you will be on the menu”, she said..
Similarly, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, former Minister of State for Education ,urged aspiring young leaders to invest in character and capacity building in order to become responsible and accountable leaders.
According to him, it is imperative that youths with political ambitions subject themselves to mentorship by experienced and selfless political leaders.
“For you to have good governance, those who are coming to govern must have a good value system because you will have the values you portray in every office.
The mind must be to serve, to give, and I encourage youth to be useful, against being useless, because if you are not useful you will be useless.
“Those of you who are interested in partisan politics, you must prove that you can be useful to society, so that you can be recommended for service” he said.
The Highlight of the event was the unveiling of the book “Empowering Tomorrow”,a masterpiece on youth empowerment with focus on leadership and fight against corruption in Nigerian society.
The 13-chapter book is authored by Sen. Frank Ibezim, who represented Imo North Senatorial District in the 9th Senate.
According to the author, the book is to encourage youth to take active roles in shaping their future and the future of their nation.
Ibezim said that the spate of moral decadence among young people today was largely due to the failure of government and parents.
“My advice to the youth is that they must not fail themselves because the government and their parents have failed in their roles.
“ They must stand up and take charge of their future, as they are not just the leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today because the future starts now”, he said.
Other speakers at the event include Sen.Ugochukwu Uba and Mrs Debrah Ogazuma, among others (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Joseph Edeh
