Honourable Kazeem Bolarinwa is the Special Adviser to the Oyo State governor on youths and sports. In this interview by Adewunmi Adedayo, he speaks on the roles of youths in governance, and how the partnership between the state and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) will benefit residents of the state, among others.
Youths have integral roles to play in the fight for a new Nigeria, but how can they go about this?
The youths have a lot to contribute to make Nigeria better. I want to appreciate the fact that they have taken it upon themselves to speak out, because speaking out is actually very key. The world is the way it is today not because of the bad people, but because of the silence of good people and right now that Nigerian youths have taken it upon themselves to speak out, to speak truth to power and advocate for good governance, it is actually a way to tell us that the Nigerian youths now understand what it means to fight for their lives, their generation and the lives of the unborn generation.
You are an advocate for good governance, how do you think governance in Oyo State has fared so far?
Governance in Oyo State is fantastic because of His Excellency, who is a lover of the people, has been enacting people-oriented policies that will go a long way in affecting the people of Oyo State positively. Generally, in all ramifications, sectors or parastatals that we can consider as far as governance is concerned in Oyo State, even you can attest to the fact that excellence is what is being recorded so far.
How do you think youths can actively participate in the governance of the state?
Youths can actively participate in the governance of the state either by election or by selection and that is actually how one can be part of government, but of course, if you’re not going for an elective position, you go for appointment, that’s selection and even if it’s not forthcoming, you can participate by making decisions. You can do this by supporting who you feel is the best candidate, anytime candidates are being selected for elective positions. You can lend your voice and equally decide on whom to lead the course of the state and the country at large by participating in election and even campaigning for whoever you think will make a better leader in driving the affairs of this country.
The Oyo State and National Directorate of Employment (NDE) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate enterprise creation and generate employment opportunities for residents, how will this benefit residents of the state, especially the youth?
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) actually came and I was part of those who received them while the memorandum was being signed. It is actually an advantage to Oyo State youths and residents at large; also, business people in general because that will create more opportunities for them to do business, create conducive environment, create more job opportunities, and facilitate the already existing and even new start-ups through giving grants, loans and many others. This is actually what is needed for any business to thrive in any state or country at large and this is actually one of the initiates of the initiatives Government for the state government.
What advice will you give to youths in order to reduce the high rate of unemployment?
First of all, I want to tell youths that if you’re hungry, you fed the hunger first before the next person closest to them. When you have headache, you feel the headache first and even the person closest to them may not even feel it, the person can only bear the cost of helping them to treat it. What this is saying logically is you should be more responsible for your life, your health and for everything that has to do with you before any other person. What I’m saying is that you’re the entity primarily responsible for your safety, your life and your consumption, even before the government focuses on responsibility. What I’m saying in essence and substance is that youths should delve into activities that will add positivity into their life such as business, sports, and collaborations as against competition, even facilitating conducive environment for others to thrive. Most importantly, youths should try as much as possible to identify their passions because it’s their passions that will earn them a living and they should also identify their values; their value of course is equally linked to their passions and they should learn to turn their passion to their portfolio. When you turn your passions to your portfolio, automatically, you’ll be able to earn a living while you’re doing what you love to do most, which is what I want to encourage the youths to continually do. Again, worst access anyone can possess is no value, try as much as possible to possess your value, leverage your value and project your value to the world, that way, you’ll be nothing but an asset to the environment you find yourself, your family, the government and the nation at large. If you fail to be an asset or to add value to your society, you are automatically a problem to that society. Of course, if you’re not a solution to the existing problem of that society, you’re automatically an added problem to that society.
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