Short-sightedness, lack of planning reasons Nigerian youth can’t be President in 2023 – Group

The Country Director of Plan International, Usie Charlse Emmamuzou, has attributed lack of planning and short-sightedness as reasons a youth may not become president in Nigeria.

Emmamuzou who stated this on Friday in Abuja at an event organised by Africado Foundation to commemorate the International Youth Day, said old leaders would continue to lead the nation after President Muhammadu Buhari unless the youth change their attitude towards governance.

He observed that young persons in the country were too fixated on the office of the president and usually want instant gratification without proper planning.

According to him, a country that is functional do not depend on the dictates and wishes of just one president, adding Nigeria is bigger than one human being.

He said: “One of the challenges with the Not Too Young To Run movement is that how many young Nigerians are aspiring for counselor and local government chairman, but young people want to be president, it doesn’t work like that, it takes planning and timing and it’s all a gradual process.

“The young ones are usually short sighted with plans and want immediate gratification and it doesn’t always work like that. Though, it may work for some people in the short term but if you study any successful organisation or individual, you’ll find out that none of them have shorten the process.

“There’s a time when you need to learn and undergo Tutelage and undergo coaching, in the political space the young ones are too fixated on the presidency whereas there’s a lot going on at the state, the kind of Nigeria we want won’t be instigated only from the presidency, many of us live in states that don’t even get their acts right.

“We need young people in state houses of assembly, we need young people as counselors and local government chairmen, that’s how you take hold of a state and have a decent policy and overtime you now begin to aspire for presidency.

“Some of the politicians we see today who are aspiring for presidency next year have had this ambition for the last 25 years consistently, but young people would want to have an ambition today and actualise it next year.”

Also, the founder, Africado, Richardson Ojeka, said youth should not vote along party lines but for candidates with influence and capabilities to deliver the dividends of democracy.

He said, “I think that the youth have a very vital role to play in 2023. The youth are very important in any country, in any nation. We need to have one voice above and vote for someone with vision but vision is not enough.

“You need to have someone who also has influence. We need to vote for people who can go into communities in interests for young people.

“That is the way I think youth need to vote. Not for party, but the candidates regardless of any party, but the deciding factor for the youth should be is this person competent.”