Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has charged youths to channel their youthful energies into breaking the norm associated with Nigeria’s ruling class.
The governor further said the issue of leadership is imperative in preparing the youth for the future and governance.
Makinde gave the charge on Wednesday at the Students Legislative Summit organised by the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, in conjunction with the Students Representative Council, University of Ibadan
He, however, said that he has been able to break that.
Some of the dignitaries at the event included the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who was represented; and the Speakers of the Osun and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly.
The governor declared that there was a time when Who is your father? was the order of the day in the political space of the state.
He, however, said that he had broken the jinx.
Makinde, while speaking further, said that his father was a nobody and the Oyo State people still allowed him to lead.
The governor also declared that Nigerian youths must become more actively involved in governance by increasing their participation.
For us here, we have seen the common situation where Who is your father? was the order of the day, but we have been able to break that in Oyo State. My father was a nobody and the Oyo State people still gave me the opportunity to lead.
We may not be able to prepare the future for the youth, but we can prepare the youth for the future. Please, dont see this event as just an opportunity to look at the issue of leadership in this country. And, in me, Seyi Makinde, the youth have an ally and we will prepare the leaders of the next generation amongst the youth.
I am here this afternoon to encourage the youth. If you look at the history of Nigeria, we had our independence in 1960, and six years after, in 1966, the person that became the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, was 31 years and some months old. After him, during the Second Republic, former President Obasanjo retired as a General at the age of 39.
You should dream big; people have ruled this country at very tender ages. So, for you, dont think that at 29 or 30, you are too young to rule and I am glad, because this is almost like catching them early.
You have the students here and in about three years, some of you will be out there to move on. If I were you, I wouldnt start looking for work; I would start doing my own thing at a very early age of 24 or 25. With the kind of energy you still have, you can pull down the kingdom of Satan.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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