The clock is ticking

THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN THE NEXT NIGERIAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DISPENSATION

Introduction

Who is a youth?  “The UN, for statistical consistency across regions, defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States.  For activities at the national level, for example when implementing a local community youth programme, “youth” may be understood in a more flexible manner.  UNESCO will then adopt the definition of “youth” as used by a particular Member State.  It can be based for instance on the definition given in the African Youth Charter where “youth” means “every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years”, (UNESCO, Social and Human Sciences, 2014).

Political participation of Youths: the Nigerian case

A recent discuss in one of the Nigerian media exhibited participation of the Nigerian “Youths” in current political activities as that which raises doubt as to the definition of who is a youth – more-so, in the background of the above highlighted definition of who a youth is, age-wise.

In our Nigeria political activities of today, one can cite cases where those branded political Youth Leaders are sometimes in their early 50s in years of age.  This calls for scrutiny when one x-rays the UNESCO definition of Youth, age-wise.  The scenario becomes more complex and raises doubt as to whether the Nigerian ‘Youth’ as far as political and nay, economic activities and participation are actually concerned and controlled by supposed youths, according to age classification?  So, in other for the topic of this write-up to be judiciously authentic, we have to clarify who a youth is?  If the UNESCO definition of youth is what we are going to accept as a Member State or Nation, there is going to be a doubt as to whether youth participation in the political and economic arena of Nigeria is actually being occupied by the real youths – ages 15-35 years.  According to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, one is not eligible to be registered by INEC – Independent National Electoral Commission – for inclusion into the Nigerian Voters Register, unless one has attained the age of 18 years.  By extension, the 15-17 years olds are not captured by the Nigerian 1999 Constitution to exercise their franchise as being eligible voters, so 15-17 years are in the first place have no business in Nigerian active politics.  The interpretation of this age discrimination, which is by far reasonable is that at this age, it is expected that ages 15-17 years are still struggling to grab their academic or skill preparation or acquisition for future livelihood.

Back to men and women in political activities being led by people as old as 50 years may call for concern.  This is because, when a 50 year old is talking to a group of youths in the age bracket of 18-35 years, one may have to be educated whether such 50 years old is leading them for guidance or as a coordinator, or participant?  This scenario needs to be scrutinised and properly defined before we can be sure that participation of youths in Nigeria’s political dispensation is actually in the hands of the real youths or the youths are being tele-guided in such political participation.  Otherwise, the youths may have been denied their real participation.  This is so because oppression may be rearing its head at discussion level and also apportioning what is due for the youths.  In the African culture, the youths are expected to be silent when elders are talking.  If the age mixing as has been highlighted above persists, there is bound to be tension and acrimony in the camp of the Nigerian youths participation in politics and by extension the economic development of the nation – Nigeria.  With the picture being exhibited as at now in the Nigerian political youths participation, one can suggest that this accounts for some habits being exhibited by youths at political, economic rallies and meetings, respectively.  What you notice are acts of thuggery, drug influences and rascality.  All these are done in part to display inferiority complex, when the youths are faced with elderly persons leadership in their midst.  They need to act bold to interact with this Youth Leaders who are in their 50s.  In this case, the best quality may have not been tapped from the fresh mind of the youths – and some orientation work has to be done to normalize this anomaly, if we are to tutor and groom the youths to be partakers in the political and economic dispensation of the nation, as heir apparent of the inheritance.  In such orientation effort, the youths must be educated that participation in politics and economy is a training ground for them not money-making venture.  They should be tutored towards believing and pursuing what they could offer their nation rather than what they can materially get from their nation.  This is a herculean task because the youths brains have been thwarted to believe that they must be rich, by all means even at their tender age; because of subsequent governments mis-managing the nations resources since the era of military regimes, which the political class has emulated.  To majority of the youths, building a nation for greatness is not their desire, rather, self-enrichment is their priority – the recent fuel subsidy House of Representative public enquiry evidences affirm this hustle for money by the youths, if utterances and disposition exhibited by some youth ‘businessmen’ is given a replay of the video recordings.  The recently concluded National Conference may have gone a long way to addressing this anomaly, if their recommendations as to political and economic restructuring see the light of the day.

ADEBAYO, Busayo (2014)

Freelance Public Analyst.

adebayobusayo1@gmail.com

Desperacy of a Dying Man

Desperacy of a Dying Man

Locked in chains

His claws turned to pregnant tigers

Which were crooked and shivering

The nails are weak;

But turned to an aged witches own

Scratches on the wall

Sweating vigorously with

His Screams! And Wailing!

Crying profusely, but;

The Tears are not dropping

But there is a path of tears on his face

Dried but visible

Appetite of strands of straws in hunger

He lives in a pensive world of sadness

He had a suicidal thought

But his hands are too weak to carry that out

He sees a beautiful world in this awful memory lane

His desperacy turned mental

Left Scars on his body like art crafts

While running in disarray like a headless chicken

In the dungeon that he habitats

Faeces lithered around the straws he feeds on

And on his body

But He can’t stop

All in desperacy to be free and out

By: ADEBAYO, Busayo

WHY WE NEED WOMEN IN POLITICS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

Introduction

There is growing global recognition that gender equality is paramount to the development of political economy of any society, of which the Nigeria community cannot be an exception, (Obiamaka, 2014 in Ellis, 2004).  Where gender inequality impedes level playground participation for men and women of any society in diverse area of specialization, the resultant effect is that there will be lower competition among all eligible human participants.  Thus, the best may have been denied their contributions in the achievement of optimal results in all areas of political and economic progression.

Emergence of Nigerian Women

Until of recent, there is the general archaic belief in Nigeria’s family circle that women’s place is only in the kitchen and four walls of the household; to tender all occupants of  each necleus family.  This belief lends credence to not allowing the female child to have equal educational opportunity with her male counterparts.  This practice is more pronounced in the northern part of Nigeria; but by the turn of the current political dispensation in Nigeria, thanks to the outspoken posture of the current First Lady of Nigeria and Late Professor Dora Akuyili, one-time Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Control – NAFDAC and erstwhile Minister of Information and Communication, the womenfolk rapidly started to evolve.  It is during the Presidential campaign of  Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that the Nigerian women pushed through the now famous 35% affirmation in the sharing of political appointments.  This effort by our womenfolk ushered in the advent of Nigerian women occupying key Ministerial and economic positions.  It must not be forgotten that before this time, Obasanjo regime showcased two prominent women in the Nigerian political dispensation by giving opportunity to two female Ministers – Oby Ekwensili and former World Bank Director, Ngozi Okwonjo-Iwiela to serve as Ministers of Education and Finance respectively.  The scorecard of these few women that were tested, to be candid, varies by public analysts, but on the whole, it doesn’t appear that the former denial of women participation in the socio-political economy of Nigeria was the best experience we have been subjected to.  On the contrary, the general belief that women are more tighter on table came to the limelight, very prominently when one continues to assess the performances of some of these females in public appointments execution of their duties.

Gender Marginalisation Effect

The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria clearly stipulates gender equality, but customary and religious laws continue to restrict women’s rights.  The disparity between women and men in terms of political, social, educational and economic achievements cannot be separated from some problems which hinder parity between the two groups.  Such problems include low participation of women in politics, limited rights in terms of access to resources; such as land ownership, credit facilities and opportunities in education, training, job placements, especially for the predominantly Muslim Northern women.  There are also more than 250 ethnic groups with various customs, offering many constraints to emancipation of women-folks to take their rightful position in the society, specifically in the economic and political dispensation.

In a 2008 research, Obiamaka et al posited that the total number of women involved in one form of work or the other,  in the economy of this country is 43.1% as opposed to men’s 56.9%.  The picture according to this statistics appears favourable, comparatively to women, but Obiamaka et al assert that the statistics is misleading.  They opined that key leading sectors in the economy by way of income yield or reward have not been favourable to women in terms of participation.  There are the construction industries where women participation is 0.2% relative to men’s 3.2%, transportation and communication business, 0.5% relative to men’s 6.8% and administrative/defence, where women participation is only 2.5% as against men’s 7.0%.  They conclude that a higher participation of women are found in the lower spectrum of public offices.

Case for More Women Participation in Politics

With the foregoing status quo, as highlighted above, it can be clearly ascertained that women has in the past been denied equal participation in Nigerian politics.  With the turn of things very recently, it has been established that given the opportunity, women can contribute their own quota in the political and economic indices of this country.  Therefore, there is a dire need for the Nigerian electorate to articulately screen womenfolks in their communities and present credible women of virture, cool-headedness, hard-working and educationally groomed into positions of authority in this country.  The enumerated examples have shown that there are the matured Nigerian women, who have been tested and proved to be able to tower in their areas of specialization.  Such could be given opportunities to serve in the political dispensation of this country.

 ADEBAYO, Busayo (2015)

Freelance Public Analyst.

adebayobusayo1@gmail.com