The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman has charged youths not to fall for the usual scare that they can’t achieve much in politics without huge war-chest urging capable youths to throw their hats into the political contests.
Usman said this on Thursday in Lagos at the 3rd edition of the annual Youth Leadership Training of the United Action for Change, UAC.
The NPA boss who encouraged the youths who had come from all states of the federation to believe in themselves and be ready to vie for positions in the political space. According to her, the usual scare by the entrenched old political class is in furtherance of their bid to hold grip of the system by shutting out energetic youth.
She said, “You need to convince the electorate that you are bringing something of value. Every the narrative of money comes in politics, it is to scare away people who don’t have money. So, don’t be discouraged, if you believe in yourself and believe you have value to add to your constituents.
“You should come out even with the little resources that you have. And talk about the value you are bringing. They use money to discourage people from joining active politics.
“ If any youth is interested in joining politics, he should not be discouraged. Convey your message and you will be surprised the electorate will consider you.
In her paper titled, “ The Youth as forbearers of the new Nigeria “
Usman opined that, “There is a general consensus that the older generation is unwilling to quit the stage for younger ones and there may be some truth in this.
“There is no doubt that there is a lot that government needs to do to enhance the capacity of and give youths more opportunities to contribute to national development and I look forward to more fidelity to the National Youth Policy, 2009 which represents what the country intends to provide for the development of its young in accordance with the “African Youth Charter, Commonwealth Youth Charter as well as the United Nations World Programme of Action for Youth. The youth of a country is the evidence of its strength and political and economic leaders must be deliberate in preparing our youth for taking over the reins.
“However, the question we should ask ourselves is how much efforts are young people making to be the best at what they do and compete for relevance.
“As Ahmad Alhendawi, the youngest Secretary-General of the World Organizations of the Scout Movement to have ever been appointed, usually says, there can be “nothing for young people, without young people.” In other words, no one will willingly quit the stage for youths unless the youths themselves decide to roll up their sleeves and get their hands on the plow without not looking back.
“In hoping to achieve results however, there must be the essential ingredients of preparations. I have suggested that Nigerian youths must be in every sector of the economy to hope to contribute to the future of Nigeria. If we agree to this proposition, education is a very critical element of the preparation. Youths must acquire skills that make them competitive not just in Nigeria but amongst their peers from other parts of the world.
“And for people who aspire to be in politics, you must, in addition to education, develop a sense of service. A corollary to that is that you must be ready to start from very humble beginnings.
“Let me give you two examples of what I am talking about from the United States. Take Senator Hillary Clinton who wanted to be President at 69. That lady has a record of close to four decades of public service.
“President Obama became President at 46 in 2009, but his active public life started at the age of 24! At the age of 31, in 2007, I contested for a seat in the House of Representatives in Katsina State, this is after years of active participation in political activities in my community. We must therefore cultivate the sense of service to the people over personal ambition and the acquisitive sense.
