YOUTH empowerment activist, Ms Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, has urged Nigerian youth to penetrate popular political parties to enable them to participate actively and get prominent roles in the upcoming 2019 elections and beyond.

Akerele-Ogunsiji, also the founder of Rise Networks, made the call on Wednesday at a conference in Lagos, organised by the Centre for Values in Leadership in collaboration with the South-West Youth Decide initiative.

The conference had the theme, “Understanding Elections and Civic Responsibility’’.

She said that penetrating the political parties was a strategy to enable the youth in Nigeria position themselves for political leadership.

According to her, political parties are the vehicles to acquire and exercise political power in government as well as plan for the present and future needs of the people for democracy to be sustainable.

“We the youth need to be active and participate in politics and governance because government matters.

“Some of us think that because we are self-employed or entrepreneurs or because we have good jobs; then we have to ignore government and its issues. It is a lie, Government is everything.

“The government is where they formulate the policies that will either change our lives positively and negatively.

“So, we need to be part of the government by joining political parties, especially the popular ones; infiltrate, penetrate and make a difference, rather than forming new ones.

“Do not be afraid. Martin Luther King died as a young man fighting for a cause, but I tell you that he is more successful in death than some old men who are alive.

“What is the point of living if you do not make a difference,” she said.

Akerele-Ogunsiji said that some youth were forming political parties to run for presidency without concrete policy positions and zero preparation.

According to her, being a youth is not a qualification to run for political leadership, it is about preparedness and readiness to lead.

“The youth in Nigeria think they can just come out to run for presidency because they can speak great grammar with zero preparation and no policy position.

“You have to go through a process. Former President Obama started as a community organiser, then went to the state assembly, then went on to become a senator and then ran for presidency. He went through a process.

“Going through these processes gives you the opportunity to be close to your constituency – the people.

“You have to start making impact in your community, run for local government chairman, House of Reps and the Senate. These stages prepare you for higher positions,’’ she said.

“In the U.S., students are very involved in political process; they have the association of the Republicans and Democrats.

“During elections they organise and mobilise themselves and even hold workshops to educate themselves on electoral processes.

“These are platforms that prepares and galvanise youths into engaging in policy formulation, government accountability and running for political office.

“We need to start creating this kind of platforms in institutions in Nigeria.’’

Contributing, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, the convener of the conference, said there was the need to achieve active youth involvement in politics ahead of the elections.

Okenwa said the conference was to develop the youth and bring out leadership qualities in them.

June 7, 2018 @ 15:05 GMT /

BE