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By Tochukwu Ezukanma
The recently held International Youth Day Conference in Abuja was an occasion for President Goodluck Jonathan to address economic, political and other issues with specific relevance to the Nigerian youths. The forum presented an opportunity for the president to showcase his administration’s accomplishments, or admit its lack of success, in improving the lot of the Nigerian youths, as in providing them increased access to employment and quality and affordable education, and enhancing their overall prospects for a brighter future. Ordinarily, also, such a gathering should make it possible for the youths to vent their frustration with the president’s failure, or to express their content with his achievements, in governance, in general, and, as the occasion necessitated, in areas with direct bearing to the youths.
With his administration having failed to better the lives of the generality of Nigerian youths, the president, expediently, skirted issues of utmost and immediate importance to the youth and talked about a constitutional amendment that will lower the age limit for running for the office of the president. Supposedly, such an amendment will make it possible for younger Nigerians to be elected president. Most likely, the president’s young audience found this exhilarating. In their youthful idealism, impressionable minds and excitability that can easily be kindled, it must have temporarily taken their minds off the hard realities of their lives and may have left a number of them dazzled by the prospects of becoming the Nigerian president at very youthful ages. The possible effects of his proposed constitutional amendment on the susceptible mind of his impressionable listeners could not have been lost to the president. For it was, essentially, a red herring – purposely said to distract attention.
The pressing needs of most Nigerian youths do not include running for the office of the president. They are beset with problems of poverty, joblessness, unaffordable education, wretched housing, homelessness, insecurity, etc. They are dispirited and demoralized by dehumanizing economic hardship and the endless drudgery for daily existence. They need affordable and quality education, employment opportunities and career advancement, enabling environment for success in business and the professions, etc. To avoid these problems and the responsibilities of the government towards the youths and talk about constitutional amendments that will make youths presidents was mere trumpery.
The Goodluck Jonathan presidency deepened and widened poverty in Nigeria and set the unemployment rate dangerously high. The corruption and waste in his government are depleting the resources that could have been directed to the public good, including the betterment of the youths. Remorselessly, and with impunity, hitherto unknown in Nigerian public life, government officials misappropriate and steal public funds. While a detailed list of the waste and profligacy in his administration is beyond the scope of this writing, it is important to note that his ministers are amongst the highest paid in the world. And with 42 ministers, his must be the most bloated executive in the world. And nearly N1bn is budgeted annually as the feeding allowance for the presidential and vice presidential households.
The president has been quite remiss and negligent in his handling of some issues that particularly affected the youths. For example, a day after the abduction of 250 youths from their school in Chibok, he went gamboling at a political jamboree in Kano. And after the abduction, it took him 16 days to respond to that terrorist lunacy. Due to massive unemployment, considerably aggravated by his retrograde economic policies, about 584,000 youths were short-listed for about 4,500 jobs. Twenty four of them died in stampedes at different recruitment centers. It is unfathomable, and inexcusable and morally reprehensible that the president retains as a member of his executive the minister, whose greed and negligence cause the death of the 24 job seekers.
There is so much the president can do to improve the lot of the Nigeria youths. After all, the major causes of unemployment and lack of opportunities for the youths are moribund economic policies, official corruption and the conscienceless misappropriation of the national wealth by government officials and their business and political cronies. He can pursue more responsible and people oriented economic programs, curb corruption and lessen the indescribable waste in his government. Progressive economic policies, coupled with a curb on official corruption and the heartless theft of public funds by government officials and a reduction in the mindboggling profligacy in his administration will bolster the economy, and of course, create jobs and encourage a more principled and equitable distribution of the national wealth.
Nigerians need good leaders. Interestingly, good leadership is not a function of age. The world has known great and outstanding leaders in different age brackets. Secondly, youthful Nigerians in positions of power have, just like the old guards, failed the people. They are equally incompetent, politically intolerant and financially dishonesty. They have also, as governors, legislators, etc, evinced greed, arrogance and scorn of the masses in their conduct of public affairs.
The president’s promised proposal for a constitutional amendment that will lower the age limit for prospective presidents was an irrelevant topic introduced to divert attention from issues that should have been the real focus of the International Youth Day in Nigeria. Next time the youths have an occasion to meet with him, before he snookers them and get them fantasizing about becoming the presidents of Nigeria at the age of 25, they should register their disgust with the unmitigated failure of his presidency in every facet of national governance. In addition, they should demand to know his specific programs and strategies for securing the country from Boko Haram insurgency and alleviating the insufferable economic circumstances of the generality of Nigerians and the Nigerian youths in particular.
Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria
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