President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Oladele John Nihi, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of shortchanging the youth.
In a statement issued on Thursday titled “Why I Cried on a National TV,” Nihi noted that the Nigerian Youth had for decades been marginalized by the elites in the country.
He particularly lamented the President’s ministerial list saying: “His ministerial list is a slap on the faces of every Nigerian Youth between the ages of 18 and 35 years. This strata of age group has been out of governance for decades in this country. The elites sees us as not useful; only to vote and attend campaign rallies.”
Nihi, while acknowledging that power is never given, noted that the leaders have always found a way to block any chance the youth could use as a platform to power.
The statement read” For decades now, the Nigerian Youths has been grossly marginalized by the elites of this country. Group of leaders who were fortunate to have paved their way into the corridor of power at a very young and promising ages. It is saddened to see that; these same set of leaders or rather some fraction of these leaders, has deliberately declined to vacate the corridor of power.
“The set of leaders and heros we as youths read about in schools are still the same ones governing the affairs of this nation. And the youths relegated into political thugs and praise singers.
” I believe that power itself shouldn’t be given, but to be taken. We the youths has been agitating for inclusiveness and adequate representation in governance. But our leaders always find a way to block any chance a
youth could use as a platform to power.
“I wept, not minding that the whole nation was watching. I wept because I felt robbed and cheated as a youth, by President Mohammadu Buhari. His ministerial list is a slap on the faces of every Nigerian Youth between the ages of 18 and 35 years. This strata of age group has been out of governance for decades in this country. The elites sees us as not useful; only to vote and attend campaign rallies.
“The President himself, President Buhari, was a youth when he became the Head of State. And has since then been relevant in the affairs of this nation; which later produced him as the 15th president of Nigeria, after 30 years of been the Head of State, in 1985.
“All these thoughts ran out flood of tears from my eyes, and I wept bitterly for the future of this generation. I am burdened because nothing is been done regarding this. I expected all these past leaders to be serving more like a mentor than leaders in this generation of today; just as it is in other parts of the world.
“I believe in a youthful Nigeria. I believe in a young and energetic nation. And I believe in every Nigerian Youth.”
