CrispNG’s maiden lecture: Current Nigerian youths fear death, not bold enough for change – Ambrose Igboke

Dr. Ambrose Igboke, Chairman of the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, Enugu State Chapter, has stated that Nigerian youths lack the boldness to drive political change in the country.

Dr. Igboke made this assertion during his lecture at Crisp Nigeria’s maiden annual lecture, held on Saturday, April 17, 2024. His lecture, titled “Situational Analysis of Youth Participation in Governance in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges, and Way Forward,” highlighted the challenges facing youth involvement in politics.

The event, tagged “Nigeria of Our Dreams: Are the Youths Involved?” was organised to commemorate International Youth Day and featured other notable speakers, including, Ex-minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung; Niger State Governor’s aide, Aisha Wakaso; Prof. Luke Anorue, former Head of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Halima Layeni, founder and executive director of Life After Abuse Foundation; and Busaosowo Bisong, founder of Busaosowo Foundation, who contributed to the discussion on youth involvement in nation-building.

The issues

“Those who fought for our independence from the colonial masters were actually youths. Most of them began active participation in the fight for independence in their 30s.

I could mention people like Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Okoli, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and later, people like Sardauna Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa joined. These people were very young; they started these movements in their late 20s and 30s. By the time they were in their 40s and 50s, they were deeply entrenched in Nigerian politics, which led to independence on October 1, 1960.

Then something happened in January 15, 1966, when the military coup occurred. The military officers who took over were mostly in their early 30s. After Aguiyi Ironsi was also killed in the mutiny of July 29, 1966, those who took over were men in their 30s. Gowon, who became the head of state, was a bachelor when he became the head of state, and the rest of them, like Murtala Mohammed, Obasanjo, and Yar’Adua Sr., were all in their 30s.

But something happened in Nigeria in the 1970s; those who took power as youths refused to incubate other youths to take power. Instead, they sought ways to entrench themselves in power, and many of them are still alive today.

We talk about the Babangidas, the Yar’Aduas, the Gowons, the Buharis, and others who are still around. They refused to establish a proper political formation for the youth. Instead, they preferred to use the youths as stooges. Even in the military era, they were appointing their boys but refused to relinquish power.

Babangida did something in his “Maradona” dribble of Nigeria when he introduced a nomenclature called “New Breed Politicians” in the late 80s. But when these persons were revealed, there was no new breed; it was still the old hands from the NPP and UPN of those days who came back. From that trajectory, after the June 12 election, youths took a back seat, allowing those in their 50s to drive the set.

Now, according to the African Youth Charter, the definition of youth in Africa is between the ages of 15 to 35. Nigeria aligns with that, stating that the age of youth is between 18 and 30, with 14 to 35 being what Nigeria adopted in line with the African Youth Charter. So, in the context of our discussion, which is the African Youth Charter and Nigeria, we’re looking at ages 14 to 35.

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In that context, you’ll find that Nigeria had good youth representation from 1960 until around 1993, when some youths who were leaders in the 80s finally became men. But what happened from the 80s onward was a deliberate attempt to ensure that youths didn’t rise up. Even those who took power in 1999 were just emerging.

So, people like Orji Uzor Kalu, Tinubu, and Chimaraoke Nnamani were basically in their early 40s when they took over in 1999. They were able to form a new political group that also saw a lot of youths emerging as local government chairmen. I think Barr. Dalung also started very early, and by the time they were in their 30s, many of them were local government chairmen. For example, in my state, Enugu, many men who are now the main stakeholders were in their 30s back then and benefited a lot.

The challenges

What happened from 1999 till now is that there has been state capture by the older generation because the youths themselves refused to become active participants in politics.

The youths took a back seat. They were okay being “boys,” touts, and thugs. The youths were okay being SAs and PAs to political office holders. They were okay causing disruptions. The few that were tested in positions messed it up.

Let’s talk about the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999, Salisu Buhari. He was 29 years old, although he lied about being over 35 because that was the age requirement. What happened to him? He lost the seat, and the youths never got it back since then. Although Dimeji Bankole also got it at 41 or 42, he was not within the youth age bracket as defined by the African Charter and the Nigerian perspective.

So, we can comfortably say that in national politics, for the past 20 years, youths have not been active apart from a sprinkle of a few that were appointed as ministers. A lot of people within the age of 35 and below have not been active in the political arena. This calls for a way forward, particularly addressing the apathy.

The apathy now is that youths believe their voices don’t count; they believe their votes don’t count. This is why, on election days, youths would rather play football on the streets than go to vote. But that changed last year with the Obidient movement, with the revival of political consciousness among the youths, possibly arising from the #EndSARS protests that happened in 2020. What happened? They went to vote, and again there was disappointment due to the lack of transmission of results from INEC, among other issues. Now, many youths are in a state of political depression.

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We need a lot of conscious efforts to use the media they are accustomed to, especially social media, which is more personalized for them, to reach out and reawaken them from this political depression they’ve found themselves in since last year.

While we are trying to reawaken the youths, the youths should also stand their ground and refuse to be taken for a ride. There is something very clear about political power: it is not gifted by those who are beneficiaries of it.

Political power is taken by those who want a change in how they live their lives. So, youths should not sit down and say, “Oh, our political leaders refuse to do this.” No, they should ensure that they engender that change by active participation in politics, in pressure groups, and other activities.

Look at what we have now as the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). They are all appendages of politicians. So, the youth must take destiny into their own hands and should not expect the political elite to change the status quo because the status quo benefits them.

What are the Solutions?

There should be a pressure movement to ensure that youths are not shut out. Some people say age matters, experience matters. Where have those with experience taken us? Nowhere. Those shouting about experience became political leaders in their 30s. Now that they are in power, they’re shutting out young people under the pretext of age. What experience did they have in their days when independence was just new? Now, any young person who takes a position of power has political elders to advise him. So, the excuse of inexperience and the issue of high age limits should be addressed. The age limit should be lowered, as it is too high for now.

Going forward, I think it’s time for Nigerians to form youth political parties. For example, one of the first political parties that moved towards our independence consciousness was the National Youth Movement of Nigeria, founded by Herbert Macaulay and later Ernest Okoli. It provided the foundation for many to join in, who later started forming their own parties like NCNC and Action Group.

Youths should also feel free to form their own political party. It is very evident that many of our youths can do that. They don’t need big cash; they can use crowd-funding. Once people believe in you, they can raise a lot of money. Even in the United States presidency, Nigerians in the diaspora can help out. There are other ways to fund political parties, but what we should start with are pressure groups.

The youth must constitute a pressure group that will lobby the National Assembly to change those provisions of the Constitution that shut out people within 18-35 years from holding political offices. The youth are not just good for appointments; they are also good for elective offices. The Constitution has barred some of these opportunities, especially in the governorship and presidential elections.

Going forward, the youth, as digital natives or as the Gen Z generation as they are called, should be able to use their God-given talents to come into the corridors of power. They should be able to apply pressure to whoever is ruling and have a voice in this age. Their voice will surely count if they can get their acts together.

Final submission 

The youths should get out of their comfort zones. Majority of youths in Nigeria are still in their comfort zones. Many of them want to be begged to take up their own responsibilities, and a lot of youths are docile.

During my SUG days, some of us were threatened with rustication, some were sent out of universities, but we were fearless and bold. I don’t see that in the current generation of youths. They are not bold; they fear death, repercussion, and imprisonment. As I said earlier, freedom and power are not gifted—they are taken. If you are not ready to take them, then be ready to be a slave.

During the last #EndBadGovernance protest, how many youths came out? Very few, apart from the North. We had a lot of almajiris that came out in Kano and Maiduguri, but the core of the youth did not. When labour was fighting for the reduction of electricity tariffs, how many people did we see?

Youths need to move away from affiliations—clannish affiliations, party politics affiliations, tribal and ethnic affiliations, spiritual or religious affiliations—and come together. It’s only when it comes to looting the economy, mismanagement, and elitism that those in power forget their religions and come together to subjugate the youth. In retaliation, the youth should also forget these divisions and come together to take back the country.

I’ll summarize with what Pope John Paul II said: a youth is someone who is intolerant of the shortcomings of the status quo. If you tolerate the status quo, you are not a youth. The status in Nigeria is very bad, so the youth should come out, not tolerate it, and make sure they fight until the end.

It’s going to be a long fight—it’s not a sprint race; it’s a marathon. If you are not ready to fight the marathon race, then be ready to continue in political and economic subjugation. But the youths of this country have the resources, power, intellect, networking, wealth, and everything it takes to ensure they matter in this country. The only thing keeping us apart is docility. Youths, wake up from your slumber.