Nigeria's democracy needs young people in government to grow, says Emmanuel
- As Nigeria approached the 2023 general elections, the voices of young people in the country are becoming prominent
- One of such voices is that of Promise Emmanuel, the youngest media aide to a politician in Nigeria
- Emmanuel also known as 'Kogi Rebel' says it is time for young people in Nigeria to take the centre stage of politics in the country
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Lokoja - Promise Emmanuel, the chief press secretary of the Kogi state deputy governor, Chief Edward Onoja, says Nigeria's democracy needs young people to grow.
Emmanuel popularly known as 'Kogi Rebel' made the comment in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng on Saturday, June 12.
He noted that relatively younger leaders in all levels of government in Nigeria would make a major difference in governance across the country.
Source: Facebook
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His words:
“I will say young people are what democracy needs in order to grow. I got into government at 28. It is almost impossible for anyone of my age to become a chief press secretary to any deputy governor in Nigeria at that age.
“This was made possible because of relatively younger leadership in Kogi state. The governor and his deputy hold sway as the brightest hands in security, ethnic tolerance, religious tolerance in the sense that a Muslim governor is building a chapel in the Government House.
“Also, more than 35% affirmation of women in his cabinet who are also young people, a clear departure from the past.”
Youths should get involved in politics
Emmanuel noted that if the youths are accused of crimes due to high unemployment rates and social vices, a progressive approach towards solving the problem would be to open the political economy to the young.
He added that if younger people are engaged and involved in the process of electing their leaders, it will drive down agitation of various shades, crimes and criminality and, economic prosperity.
He noted that:
“It is counterproductive to have 4% of the voting population leading the 50% of it. It is worse to think this continually happens when more than 88million of the 204million Nigerian population are young people. Democracy is the young, nothing more or less.”
Young people need to take the bull by the horn
Writing on his Facebook page recently, Emmanuel noted that politicians will keep using young people to build mansions if the youths do not free themselves from mental subjugation to the political class.
His words:
“Young people need to understand that planning for your life and focusing on it betters it than analyzing who becomes what, when, where, and how.
“Sadly, when they make the 2023 decisions, you won't even be allowed into the gates where such people sit to deliberate.”
In a related development, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Mustapha Audu is set to launch a book targeted at young politicians in the country.
Audu, a former gubernatorial aspirant of the APC in the Kogi governorship election in 2019, said the book is borne out of his personal experience in politics and should guide young people going into politics in politics Nigeria.
The Kogi-born politician who spoke to Legit.ng on Wednesday, June 2 ahead of the launch of his book ‘Naija politics 101: the beginners guide to navigating politics in Africa’ maintained that Nigeria needs young, competent, and accountable leaders.
Meanwhile, a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Robert Achiaga has advised the governments at all levels in Nigeria to embrace dialogue with aggrieved groups in order to end violent agitations in the country.
Fr. Achiaga made the call while speaking to Legit.ng during an exclusive interview held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja recently.
He said violent agitations are caused by young people who have tried to express themselves but were not given attention.
Source: Legit.ng
