Nigerian youths have lost hope in leadership, says former minister

A former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has declared that Nigerian youths have lost hope and trust in the leadership of the country, over consistent failure to prioritise youth development.

Penpushing reports that Dalung made this known at the maiden annual virtual lecture of the Crisp Nigeria, a Youth-focused media organization which has the theme, “The Nigeria of Our Dreams: Are the Youths Involved?”  held to commemorate the 2024 International Youth Day.

The former Minister who served between November 2015 and May 2019 lamented that there is no investment for the youths, as well as that there is poor youth education, stressing that there is continuous decline in the standard of education in Nigeria.

Penpushing further reports that Dalung, a lawyer, recalled how, during his time in primary and secondary schools, he and his colleagues were lured with a can of milk to attend school because of the prevailing disdain for Western education at the time.

The former Minister added and recalled that students then had access to all necessary materials and amenities needed for quality education which made them trust the leaders at the time, but regretted that reverse is the case now

“At Government College, Keffi, when I arrived, the only things my parents bought for me were a towel and a box. I went to the school office and reported. Upon presentation of my admission letter, everything was provided to me, including cutlass and hoe.

‘They sewed school uniforms. When I went to class the following day, all the books were provided. So, these investments actually contributed to the type of mindset and confidence I have in the country’s leadership’, he stated

Penpushing also reports that the former minister, however, said things took a different direction after successive Nigerian governments failed to sustain the investments in youth education, explaining that as a minister, he shed tears when he visited a secondary school in his neighbourhood because the school was in deplorable condition with students seated on the ground.

“So, what has the nation done for them that they will be able to believe or trust anybody?  So, the inability (of successive Nigerian leaders) to prioritise youth development, as it were when we were growing up, and investing in the youths, giving them the opportunity to express their potentials, is one of the greatest obstacles against the concept of the dream for a new nation’, he said.

Penpushing reports that he contended that due to the continued failure of the leaders, Nigerians were compelled to fend for themselves by providing water and other needs of life by themselves which made them lose trust in the leaders.

The former Minister emphasized and pointed out that, to reverse the trend, there was a need for the government at all levels to invest in the education of the youths and stop using them as political thugs to rig elections.

“So, if we must rebuild the nation, leadership in Nigeria must be very deliberate. Some of the youths are already frustrated. So, there must be a deliberate policy of dealing with them, to rehabilitate them, to reposition them, get them involved,” he stated.

Penpushing further reports that Dalung was of the position that repositioning the youths would be fruitless without tackling corruption and injustice in the country’s system, stressing need to tackle corruption with all seriousness.

“We must tackle corruption headlong. The issue of injustice has to be resolved. The Nigerian state has to be very fair to every citizen. If nothing is done too soon, we all are living on a timebomb. When it explodes, survivors will only be those who would have been designated by nature and God to survive’, he said

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