A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has urged Nigerian youths to unite against insecurity and bad governance.
Yusuf gave the charge, Saturday night, during a virtual youths summit organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDO) and Nigeria Diaspora Network (NDN).
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The meeting was titled, ‘Youth and National Development in Nigeria’.
According to him, the recent Abuja-Kaduna bound train attack was a mortal existential threat to the country.
He also said it was disheartening that the elders are disconnected from the youths.
“This country, Nigeria, has given my generation so much that we can never give back. I am an optimist and wherever I go, I tell the youths my history. I attended a Catholic school and I was the only Muslim in my class.
“We went into the world and competed favorably. The so-called village school we went were better than the best school presently. This was the Nigeria of my time. We had bond of relationship between Christians, Muslims and different tribes,” he said.
Yusuf, who decried the rate of insecurity in the country, called on the youths to unite against it.
He also recalled the time he went with Sheik Ahmad Gumi into the forests to persuade the bandits to change from their bad ways.
He expressed concern at the rate the youths in the country now get involved in criminality like the Boko Haram, ISWAP, IPOB, and the destruction that followed the #ENDSARS protest.
He said the youths would not be counted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, among others but by coming out to participate in the election process.
“Your right as citizens does not end in balloting. You must ask questions. Youths must get involved in our political process for any meaningful change to take place,” he said.
Also, a strategic leadership expert and certified management consultant, Dr. Toye Sobande, said the focus about leadership position should be on the quality of ideas one possessed.
He said though people classified youthful age between 18 to 49, age could be physical or ideological.
“For me, you can be 39 years and have ideological age for governance,” he said.
Sobande urged young people who plan to go into politics to be a person of character, have respect for time and people’s opinions.
He said, “You cannot build character when you show disrespect and disregard to people. We must respect our elders and have mutual regards for each other.”
On her part, a former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Petra Onyegbule, said the youths must be respectful, resourceful and be a person of value to fit into political offices.
She said seeking for a political office was not all about money but being discipline.
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