Udy Okon, Executive director, Youth Alive Foundation, a nongovernmental organization, said Nigerian youths need urgent re-orientation about the country’s social and political landscape if they are to succeed in their bid to oust old politicians from power.
According to her, Nigerian youths are disinterested in politics on when they do, contended with working as ‘personal assistants’ to politicians because of poverty and lack of employment.
“It’s poverty and poor economy that make youth support these politicians because if the majority of the youths are gainfully employed, they won’t have the time and space to run around politicians.
“What we need to be doing is to give social re-orientation to our youths, to make them know that they deserve more. It would also make them know that following old politicians is not sustainable and won’t give them a secured future,” she expressed.
Udy, however, said she is delighted at the increasing interest of youths in political offices at the state and federal level.
She asserted that the young ones are rightly placed to move Nigeria forward because they are innovative and open to change.
She said, “I’m excited that so many young people are showing their interest in political offices and it’s a brilliant thing. The younger generations are more amenable to change, they have fewer vested interests to maintain status quo, more innovative and they can bring the real change the people want.
She dismissed claims that the youths are the highest perpetrators of corruption.
The blame for the high level of corruption, according to her, should go to the older politicians who she said, are responsible for the current bad state of the country.
Udy, however, advised Nigeria youths to organize themselves ahead of 2019 elections and take over power from the current leadership.
She also advised youths not to allow themselves be used for election violence.