Nigerian youths have been subjected to several forms of maltreatment - Chibuzo Ojemeni

An IT professional, Chibuzo Ojemeni, has said that Nigerian youths have been subjected to several forms of maltreatment; from psychological, emotional, economic, security and all these have hindered the potentials they have in them. 

Ojemeni made the statement in an exclusive interview with Smiley-Bisoye's blog. 

Read excerpts below. 

For those who will be willing to know you, how well will you best introduce yourself? 

Chibuzo Ojemeni aka Ezebunafo, I am an IT professional with over 12 years of experience, with a specialty in web development, and soon to a become political scientist. I hold a degree in Computer Science and International Postgraduate Diploma in Information System Management from Metropolitan School of Business, UK, and awaiting a BSc in Political Science. 

I am the President of Blossom Hope Initiative and convener of I Support a Better Anambra, live in Abuja, and am married with children. 

How true is the statement, the youth are the leaders of tomorrow, a true reflection in Nigeria? 

Youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but in Nigeria, it is a different story. Nigerian youths have been subjected to several forms of maltreatment, from psychological, emotional, economic, security, and all these have hindered the potentials they have in them. I must start by indeed acknowledging the fact that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari understands the importance of this statement and how relevant it is in the current time and place. 

 One action which started as a call to action “ Not too Young to Run” turned into a bill and which the President signed and passed into law. I would sincerely wish to appreciate the originators of the “Not too young to run movement” which has indeed changed the shape of politics in Nigeria, it has changed the interplay between the electorate and the representatives, with each having a clear understanding of the political powers of the youths in Nigeria. 

The movement saw to the election and even appointment of young and vibrant people into electoral positions, which would have only existed in their imagination and not in practicality. Looking at the likes of Adebo Ogundoyin, the 32-year-old Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a representative who was unanimously elected of all the members of the Assembly to lead the State Assembly, making him the youngest Speaker of the House of Assembly in Nigeria, and reports I have received so far is nothing but praise of the great action and workable plans he has made. 

In the south also, we have the new Local Government Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government Area Council, a young, vibrant youth in the person of Obi Kelvin Ezenyili who is also making plans of digitalizing the Council with feasible plans. 

 All across the nation, we have seen the youths take up the mantle of leadership and executed the projects at hand most pleasantly and sustainably. Even in the development space, young Nigerians are working as the agent of change around the nation. 

The youths are creating large platforms for sustainable development, through various spheres. With data showing that about 54% of the population falls into the bracket of the youths, it should be the wake-up call for the youths to realize this time that the quotes of the “ Youths are the leaders of tomorrow would soon be a cliché because the tomorrow is here already; we are the leaders of today. 

 What are the major obstacles to youth participation in governance or political process? 

Indeed, we cannot deny the fact that finance is not one of the major obstacles facing the youths from delving into politics, but I would rather change the narrative and start from a very salient challenge that has often been ignored when discussions of politics and governance occur. 

 Using this quote “ education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment of any nation”, an educated population is a powerful tool for national development, and that is why our leaders are always failing to develop this sector or sphere of human life because they understand that the importance of education is the political process. 

And we often focus so much on the electoral process to just involve the contesting for elections, and we forget the voting process to also involve the electoral process. Just look at the various elections conducted so far, look at the turnout and the incentive or reason why 40% of the voters cast their vote. 

Money was involved in the process; we have observed some elections in various states, where people because of a particular sum of money would choose to vote for incompetent leaders above credible leaders. I know some people would not go with my view and blame poverty for that act, I would state it here as I would always do, imagine if the youths of the said community understand the importance of electing a credible leader who would make the necessary changes that would eventually create sustainable development or wealth in the community, they would be able to persuade the aged in the community on the voting process. 

Education which should be a powerful tool in the hands of the citizens has been reduced to the background, and with the relevance and importance of it deteriorating further. 

One of the major reasons for the little accomplishment I have been able to achieve today is as a result of the good education system I acquired, but today, it seems like the education system is just failing on both the curriculum and activities which will build the resilient youths and get them ready for the task ahead. 

 The major next obstacle the youths are facing currently is in the area of finance. This is like the unsurmountable Iroko tree in the quest for good governance. 

 Indeed, the Not Too Young to Run Bill is in place, indeed the youths are beginning to take the bull by the horn, however, some of the bulls have turned out to be expensive and far-to-reach bulls. As evident is the case in the just concluded 2019 elections, where the youthful Nigerian politicians, aspiring to contest elective positions in 2019 elections on the platform of the two major parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

The high cost of nomination and express of interest forms of the two parties set tongue wagging and made the youths realize that electioneering is not a tea party and that politics in this clime is strictly a money-making venture. In a country where the minimum wage is N 33,000, nomination forms during 2019 went as high as 45m and N12m for the presidential tickets, N22.5m, and N6m for governorship tickets from some parties. Why this was so and why it was allowed despite having such a law in place would always remain a mystery to me. 

 If we are to do a little addition and subtraction using the minimum wage as the basis for earning a living as a young Nigerian and also using the grade 8 entry salary of 120,000 as of the basis, it will take a Nigerian earning the minimum wage, a period of 10 years to earn about N3.9m not even close the price demanded, this is not even inclusive of the campaign funds to be spent. 

With this in mind, the youth is thus pushed into the wagon of godfatherism syndrome which on its own has also killed our political system and the quest for good governance. Imagine a young Nigerian who collects a large sum of money for a god-father just to run for an office, gets elected and what would you be expecting of him if not to pay back for the money spent and also trying to please the demands of the god-father who supported him with the money for his elections. 

It will be logical for his electorates not to expect any form of development from the supposed leader until the demands of the god-father are accomplished. An integral part of the process is also the legislative and legal framework which excludes the youths from policymaking and implementation. 

 Looking across the board, you can count the number of youths we have in the policy developmental sphere who are working tirelessly in ensuring the active role of youths in all spheres is covered. 

How many youths are ministers in Nigeria compared to other climes? how many youths are in the position of influence to execute and have dialogues with the authorities? The system we have operated in Nigeria for a long time now has not yielded any fruit, nothing seems to be working, it would only be essential we change the game and allow the youths' access to governance structures around the country. 

Youths who are supposed to be leaders of tomorrow have become economically disadvantaged in issues concerning their financial status. 

What can you say about the myths surrounding the participation of youths in decision-making, citing incidents of youths not being ready for political leadership? 

There will always be bad eggs amongst society and in every circle.  If I come out here and state that with the youths, all things will be well and easy and will be properly executed, that means I am here to lie about it. For far too long, one best strategy that has worked over the years to persuade people from doubting the capacity of the youths is to always put the limelight upon youths who have performed poorly in various spheres of influence without showcasing the youths who have gone to carry flags soaring high in various capacity. 

We have the likes of Jake Effoduh, a great lawyer making a great impact in Nigeria and Canada where he is based also. We have the youths who founded the Paystack which was acquired recently by an international firm. We have Nigerian youths who have also helped in structuring various policies the government currently works with today, but their names will not be mentioned, You may ask why? Bad news spreads faster than good news. 

 Have you ever seen how gossips spread in Nigeria, you will be both shocked and amazed at the same time. So that statement of youths not being ready to take policymaking seriously is nothing but a fallacy; It is not a factual statement because the youths are always available and ready to take up leadership positions if given the opportunity. Most Nigerian youths are very industrious everywhere they find themselves. Using the case of the current Minister of Justice in Canada, he is a Nigerian youth who migrated a few years ago. 

The system created the opportunity and he was given the position without bias. At the current age, we are in, there are certain elements that collectively leadership over the years should have worked on, that is working to effectively create enabling environment for the youths to thrive in a free, fair, and society without bias. 

 What will you say is the driving force or motivation you have in the current drive towards ensuring the full participation of youths in your community? 

I will say my motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic because I want to have a better life for myself and my family. 

One shouldn’t confuse the better life to involve amassing wealth or selfish gain. It is simple to create an environment where my family would feel safe and secured to work, there is no better way to do it than to get involved in the political empowerment of my community. 

 Extrinsic motivation includes the desire to have a better and safe society where everyone can desire to attain the highest level of government without the fear of being discriminated against and with a high chance of attainment based on equity and fairness. 

We know this might sound so soon, or making you drop the good news too early, a lot of people would want to know what are some of the plans you have on the ground so far? 

 I desire to see the youths included in the running affairs of the country. To that effect, I joined a non-political movement called the Blossom Hope Initiative, with the slogan of #Isupportabetteranambrastate. This movement is to encourage the youths to come out, make their voices heard, and also to make a positive choice that will benefit the good people of Anambra State without any form of discrimination and fear of political background, as long as the person has all it takes to be a good leader. 

The #Isupportabetteranambrastate movement also aims at being an ambassador of good governance and also promote unity amongst the citizens, because the bedrock of everything is unity. if the youths are not together in the call, it would not be possible to achieve the Nigeria we deserve. 

 What is the word of advice you have for youths in your community and those around the world? 

Never get discouraged, keep pushing, don't give up. Our time will surely come only if we don't give up, and for those whose time is here, please grab the opportunity, use it as an avenue to create more platforms from which other youths will rise.