Whenever the not-too-young debate starts, I always feel disturbed. To me, there are incompetent youths as there are incompetent old men. There are greedy youths as there are greedy old men. Competency is not peculiar to either of the group. Just as I will not support any action or inaction trying to disenfranchise the youth, I won’t also be casting my vote for anyone because he is not as old as the other contestant.
Age shouldn’t be another means of tricking us from asking for the basic questions: What have you ever managed successfully? What is the problem of education in Nigeria? How do you plan to restore quality to our education? What would you do to turn our “paper” growth to development? How will you reduce corruption? What strategy will you implore to reduce unemployment? What is the way out for our dead health sector?
These are some of the questions I think any aspiring leader should be answering; and not:
Which region are you from? How old are you? What’s your religion?
I have seen how PMB couldn’t live up to expectation, the economy could be better handled, also, education seems to be deep down on his scale of preference, which is a very vital pointer to his lack of foresight. Nigeria’s tomorrow is a function of the quality of education today. However, his failure is not as embarrassing as the conduct and composure of the present crop of leaders in Kogi. This is evidence that poor performance comes from all age brackets.
Young or old; he should just be a man who will transform our health sector to the one that will be good for all, including himself.
Hausa or Yoruba; he just has to be a man who the spoils of office cannot buy.
Fulani or Ighala; I don’t care, he should just be a man who have honor; the real man who will not lie when things aren’t the way it should be, of what use is adulterated GDP?
Muslim or Christian; he should just be a man who will transform our education sector to what can produce employable graduates.
Man or Woman; let our new president be just be the one that will let engineers be in charge of engineering and will put competent professors in charge of education. Man who can stand against the cabal, and stand for the wellbeing of us all; a man who possesses opinions and the will and the courage to lead.
In case I’ve not said it before, if I am in coma and need help, please don’t insist the doctor should be a Yoruba man because I am from Offa, I don’t even mind if the doctor is the kind that do not pay tithe and offerings. In as much as he knows what to do to save my life and he is ready to do it; let him operate on me, also, I’m not allergic to beautiful ladies’ soft hand, they can do it, in as much as they are competent.
We have been divided on the line of religion and region, sex…… don’t allow age to be added. Age, religion, region, sex have helped no one.
‘Wale Olawole, Lagos
