Olusegun Obasanjo
The clamour for young people’s inclusion in governance in Africa, especially Nigeria, received a boost from former President Olusegun Obasanjo when a group of young political aspirants, Tunde Eso, Ahmed Buhari And Tosin Gold, visited his Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State to solicit support from him on their ambitions.
Obasanjo, while chatting with the aspirants, said Nigerians don’t remember that he lost any election, recalling how he lost the position of United Nations (UN) Secretary General, declaring his total support of youths.
He said: “No venture, no gain. So, for the youth to take over governance in Nigeria, cum Africa, they must venture. I became head of state at the age of 37 and left at 42.”
Eso, 40, who is an aspirant in next year’s Osun State governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presented ‘African Security Solution’ and ‘Vision for
Africa,’ where he coined a new system of government, called ‘Youthocracy,’ two of the book he authored, to Obasanjo.
He said: “Our major interest is to render selfless service through the injection of new ideology into governance for pragmatic development in Osun State cum Africa.”
Buhari, 39, a presidential aspirant, said apart from having the constitutional right to contest elective positions, he has the passion to serve the people of Nigerians with a view to providing equal opportunities for all.
Akin-Thomas, the Regional President of EMFRICA, a non-governmental organisation set to empower young people across Africa, Akin-Thomas, expressed excitement that young people are now taking the bull by the horn, saying with their energy, youths would can make Nigeria better country.
Gold, an aspirant in next year’s Ekiti State governorship election, said youth’s inclusion in governance has been in existence for long, “but all we are clamouring for now is for the youth to take over and together we can attain the vision.”
