Many years ago, those who held the post of leadership were purely youths. The case of the late Obafemi Awolowo is a perfect example without excluding the jackpot story of late Nnamdi Azikiwe. They both assumed the office of leadership at a tender age in their life.
Recall that Awolowo became the premier of the old Western Region during his early forties while his counterpart from the eastern part of the country, Azikiwe, had been thrilling in leadership right from his youthful days.
The question in the minds of everybody is: “where have we (as a nation) got it wrong; particularly in the area of politics, as what has always been the order of the days has now turned to the disorder of the day?
If we are to stress the seeming qualities of a leader, being a youth should be an advantage as youths are stronger. They have the power to exude the rigorous zeal many adults may not have the power to, owing to capability restriction. It is, however sardonic that youths, who ideally should be in the frontlines of leadership, are strongly those who lack the potential to even stand in the middle, let alone of in the front.
There is this adage that says: “today is the reflection of tomorrow”. The lackadaisical and bad attitude of youths towards politics could be traced back to their days as undergraduates (for those who saw the four walls of higher institutions of learning).
There, they have been fed with the poisonous axiom about politics. They, therefore, continue nursing the wrong perception and reactions towards politics and political proceedings.
It is, therefore, not improbable to assert that many of those who rush into the slippery game of students’ politics, contrary to the aims and objectives of the founding fathers, are those who seek treasures for their pockets rather than the interest of students who elected them.
In other words, self-interest is the fulcrum for joining the unionism, thereby causing them to misbehave by mismanaging or misappropriating the stupendous annual dues of their co-students.
Since they could not graduate without facing the wrath of the law, they, thereby, wallow in the subversive mysterious acts which in the long run gives them the impression that joining other political terrains with their dubious acts in the country will not have negative repercussion.
Is this how we will continue? Definitely no. All hands must be on the deck towards the development of our political terrain. The youths should know that the future of the world lies with them. They, from now, should start clearing the ground for the future. All habits that could mar their future should be jettisoned. The youths are admonished to change their perceptions about the concept of students’ unionism.
Having understood the major limitations stopping the youths from aspiring to the posts of political affairs of the country, the government should also try to endeavour to intensify more orientation programmes.
Olalekan Adejumo,
Osogbo.