In order to promote and secure victory for the kind of candidates they want in elective public positions, knowledgeable young Nigerians must reach out further to connect and build bridges with their colleagues in semi-urban and rural areas who are not as privileged and exposed like themselves.
This will be useful in fixing the missing link in youth participation in Nigerian politics, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
He expressed this view on Thursday, while interacting with young Nigerians under the auspices of the Global Shapers Community, Abuja Hub who were at the Presidential Villa on a courtesy visit.
“The vast majority of people who are called youths in Nigeria are disprivileged, they are not people like yourselves,” Prof. Osinbajo told the members of the Abuja chapter of the Global Shapers Community.
The Global Shapers Community is an initiative of the World Economic Forum with chapters spread across different countries and a membership of over 15,000 young people.
The Vice President fielded questions from members of the group about his experience in office, politics and governance, as well as his disposition to youth participation in politics.
Prof. Osinbajo said only a small fraction of the youth population (who are most vocal and articulate) have impacted the political landscape.
According to him, “our politics is still divided even among young people and the reason why they cannot find the critical mass that it takes to promote the kind of candidates that they want in public office is because even among the young people who are interested, their message is still restricted to themselves.
“To make a difference, they must cross that line and be speaking to the masses of young people in our society who don’t have the privilege of knowledge or exposure that this other group has, which really for me, is the next stage of politics in our country.”
Continuing, the Vice President said, “today, if elections are run again and again, the traditional candidates will win because the people in the hinterlands, people outside of the major urban centres, are not aware of some of the individuals that you might like, and because some of them are not involved in politics centrally, it is very difficult, sometimes even just to gain recognition outside their own immediate spheres of influence.
“So, there is a need for that connection, understanding our society, understanding this country is very important, which is why building bridges is crucial, talking to people across the country is very important. Those are the realities of our politics.”
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