A PAPER ON YOUTH AND LEADERSHIP: THE TEST OF COMPETENCE AND READINESS, DELIVERED BY OLAOLUWA ONIFADE ESQ
Read Time:9 Minute, 9 Second
*BEING A PAPER ON YOUTH AND LEADERSHIP: THE TEST OF COMPETENCE AND READINESS, DELIVERED BY OLAOLUWA ONIFADE ESQ AT A PUBLIC LECTURE HOSTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS – JOINT CAMPUS COMMITEE OSUN STATE AXIS, TODAY THURSDAY 12TH OCTOBER, 2017 AT OSCOTECH, ESA-OKE, OSUN STATE.*
*PROTOCOL:*
I bring my unreserved greetings from my hallowed constituency of great persona to this beautiful gathering of intellectual juggernauts. A place of people who sees no good in constant complaints about the current state of the nation but derives joy in providing solutions that are workable to the existing conundrum the Nigerian state has found herself – a place of self pity and wallowing, a place of constant rigmarole in the abyss of moral decadence and a palace of self allusion.
I salute your esteemed gathering as we all come together, regardless of our background, beliefs and driving forces to find a common front for the emancipation of the proletariat Nigerian masses from the trampling feet of the bourgeois Nigerian leaders.
*PREAMBLE*
When I was called upon for this task of sharing my opinion on the unending discourse about the Nigerian youth’s readiness for leadership and competence for governance, I was jolted to life. Not only because it is an exciting topic, but because we have over-flogged the wrong horse for far too long. We have, times without number, concentrated on the ills of a few and neglected the good of the many. We have jumped ships and taken sides based on feelings rather than on facts. We have condemned, named and shamed for a mere dance to the gallery rather than propose, discuss and act what we truly believe in.
We have danced, like Obahiagbon would say, a lot of macabre dance to the tune of the unfortunate men who have moulded themselves into gods, who can only bring down and lack the capacity to build.
Today, true to self, I will share my candid opinion. Whip the horse where I need to, celebrate when I must and quiz, when it’s the only thing to do.
*WHERE ARE WE?*
Why ask where we are when we are all in it together? You might want to ask. Why not just go straight to the point, you might also want to add…
I had to ask WHERE ARE WE because many of us live in denial of the true state. We enjoy the cosmetics that we apply to the face of our problem and think that we have solved the underlying problems. We are a generation of Mary Kays and clinically designed body creams – a generation of people too lazy to ask questions, too intimidated to raise their voice in a manner that will bring others around.
We are the generation of 2 minutes noodles as against our fathers who grew up on the farmland where Cocoa were raised for years. We are a generation of people who would patronise fast food centres rather than prepare the delicacy they really want.
Let me tell you how the style of Agriculture practised affects our mental development. In Asia, rice farmers spend the whole year on the farm. From planning to processing, they wake up early and go late to bed. They ensure that the lands are not left to fallow and today, the Asians have adopted same culture in every form of their lives , hence they are on top in every sector.
The Americans have a slightly different attitude to farming. They spend 7 months on the farm, rest for 3 months and prepare the land for 2 months. This is the idea of Summer which has crept into their educational system and other business lives. We’re all aware of the results and today, the Americans look big on the outside but they are diminishing on every front.
Looking at the Nigerian situation, the youth of today are competing against a generation of old men who have weathered the storm during their youthful days. We are competing against a team of men who have built network across the length and breadth of the nation. We are fighting in a gun battle with knives against a legion of men who have acquired Guerilla warfare skills. We are running a long race with men of timbre and calibre, who have devised ways to fly while we are yet to learn how to crawl.
This is where we are. A point where we deny what we truly are. A state where we take social media as measure of our success without building real strength with real people. We are jumping around in ill gotten wealth and think we have gotten to the climax. Some times, which is actually the most disappointing, a few who have earned money from illegal deals think it is now right for them to sit back and enjoy their wealth. This is the condescending state we have all gladly put ourselves.
Where we are today is not the fault of our fathers as we want to always blame them. We have decided our paths from since when we had the chance. We have neglected the values upon which we have been raised. We have been divided along the lines of fat pocketing and beer sharing. We have sacrificed our real chances at making impacts for bowls of pepper soup and few wraps of weed.
*LEADERSHIP: WHY NOBODY TAKES NIGERIAN YOUTHS SERIOUSLY*
Let’s look at some of the challenges that have constrained the Nigerian youth to the fringes of political leadership and governance and why nobody really takes us serious.
First, selfishness. The idea that you must have everything for yourself alone and others can go to hell is a predominant characteristic of young people today.
Then you have the integrity challenge. Young people cannot expect to be trusted with leadership if they insult politicians in the social media one moment and the next moment approach these same politicians cap in hand.
The third is the mentality of every man for himself; the idea that you must demonize and destroy other youths as long as it guarantees you a spot at the top.
Lack of capacity is another major issue. The urge by youths to arrive quickly at the top without first subjecting themselves to building capacity going through process; mentorship, followership, and apprenticeship. Today, many young people want to own a company and lead an organization, even when the capacity for such leadership is lacking.
We must not forget poverty. Many youths are constrained by sheer economic pressure and find themselves ready to do anything for survival. Competition in place of healthy collaborations has turned many young people into rat race runners who feel compelled to prove a point that they are the best at what and end up not seeing any good in others.
A recently disturbing trend is the rising wave of intolerance to dissenting viewpoints and ideologies. Come to the social media and see what young people do to themselves in the name of politics and the superiority contest to establish who holds the best opinion.
The ‘Pull Him Down’ syndrome is a predominant characteristic of today’s youth. If it’s not me in that position, whoever else is there must be disgraced, embarrassed and pulled down.
*HOW DO WE PROCEED?*
It is not a sin in itself if we find that there’s a hole that can sink our ship. It becomes a sin when we can’t proffer a solution or when we decide it’s not our problem. It becomes a cause for concern when we think of it as ‘their problem’’ and NOT OUR PROBLEM.
We must come together, just like we have done today, regardless of our religious or political leaning, not minding our social stratification, to a point where we can all work as one.
You would notice that I didn’t mention our readiness or competence as the topic has suggested. This is because I know we are ready. The success of this event is a test of the many qualities of our readiness. The overwhelming results recorded by the organisers and the executives show that we are competent enough when we have the opportunity to.
We are not people who lack vision or mission. We are not jejunes would become empty because of offices that are temporal and meant to serve.
The Nigerian youth has continue to break barriers in and around the world. We have set the pace, shattered glass ceilings and countless times, we have redefined the status quo. The problem is not our readiness or competence, the problem is the rest of our generation who think we must be onlookers in the process.
*CONCLUSION*
We must also encourage young Nigerians to build capacity first before parading themselves as superstars. There are no short cuts. A good number of our elders may have stumbled on leadership at a very youthful age, but increasingly, today’s reality requires competence and hard work.
All youths cannot go into politics but many of them; the competent ones with character and integrity must get in there. And their fellow Nigerian youths must encourage and not demonize them.
I look forward to the day youthful and youth-friendly people like Fela Durotoye, Olusoji Adasaka, Sarafadeen Muhammad, Olayiwola Sulaiman, Abayomi Sarumi, Kolamide Tijani, Omolara Lawal, Blessing Akinlosotu, Solomon Atir, Idris Bello, Yinka Afolayan, Oyindamola Olukanni, Muhammad Awwal, Tunde Badmus, Kazeem Wahab, Awesu Ajayi, Afolabi Oyewunmi, Segun Bello etc will run for office. Young Nigerians must support them if ever or whenever that time comes.
Finally, young Nigerians will need to also understand that as youths, we are not in a rat race competition. We can coexist to ‘coopete’ – working together even when we have different targets and aspirations. We all need to start looking at ways we can collaborate as young people across political divides. We must learn from the older generation and how they team up together to advance their interests. Enough of this politics of party A versus B that has turned young Nigerians who were once friends into public enemies. This is the only way we can begin to win and change Nigeria together.
Our job is simple; mobilise your constituency to be a part of the process. This is our only job. Our next and major project is to bring more youth into play, define and prepare them for the work ahead. Give them the needed knowledge and equip them to run the race with us.
We have nothing to fear other than the fear of fear ITSELF.
We must rally one another, provide ourselves with the needed support and the world is for ours to take. I charge us all to remember that our unity is essential.
I sincerely thank the organiser of this event *Comrade Abidoye Damilola Akolade (Mainframe)* and his team for extending their hands of fellowship to me.
I am grateful!
Thank you all for listening.
*Olaoluwa Onifade Esq*
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0