Excluding Youths from Nigeria's Democracy is Bad - Ohakim

Excluding Youths from Nigeria's Democracy is Bad - Ohakim

 Former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has expressed disappointment at the way “political power remains concentrated in the hands of a few, mostly elderly men, while much of the youth watch from the sidelines, disillusioned and restive”.Ohakim made his feelings known in Owerri, while ruminating over the exclusion of youths in the nation’s democratic engineering.He said: “Today, I speak not only as a former Governor but as a father, a patriot and a firm believer in the boundless potential of our youth.“I speak to the soul of Nigeria; to our young people; the torchbearers of our democratic future and continuity as a people.“We live in a country where over 70 per cent of the population is under 35. This demographic reality is not a burden; it is instead a blessing, a reservoir of talent, energy, creativity and transformative power.”“However, year after year, democracy has danced around our youth without embracing them fully.“We must confront this democratic paradox: a nation of youth governed largely by the aged, a republic with vast potential shackled by a failure to invest in the future; its young people; its future.”While saying that true democracy is not only the right to vote but the right to be voted for, Ohakim equally added that it is not just representation by proximity, but participation by inclusion.His words: “We cannot continue to pay lip service to youth inclusion. We must build real structures that enable it and sustain it.“From the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ Act to the #EndSARS movement, young Nigerians have proven that they are not passive recipients of change but active agents of transformation.“They have organised, spoken truth to power, innovated in the tech space, created jobs, driven the creative industry and sustained the economy in many unacknowledged ways.“I challenge our political leaders, institutions and parties: Let us move beyond tokenism. Let us intentionally mainstream youth voices in policy-making, governance and nation-building.”Ohakim called for “a holistic legislative framework that guarantees youth quotas across all levels of government”.His words: “We should enshrine it in our Constitution that young people must sit at the table where decisions are made — not just as praise singers, not just as aides, but as equals in vision and in responsibility.“To our youth, I say: the future is not tomorrow; it is now. Engage. Organize. Learn. Lead. Hold us accountable. Nigeria is your inheritance. You must protect, rebuild, and reimagine it.“To the elders, I say: legacy is not built by hoarding power, but by empowering others. Let us mentor, not muzzle. Let us create space, not close opportunities. Let us understand that a democracy that sidelines its youth is one that sidelines its own future.“Nigeria is in transition — from a nation of missed opportunities to a nation of endless possibilities. That transition rests heavily on the youth.”

Source: Excluding Youths from Nigeria's Democracy is Bad - Ohakim

 - NigerianEye

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