Dear People of Bida North,
A Passionate Appeal for all Councillorship and State House of Assembly Seats in Bida LGA should be reserved for Young People between the Age Bracket of 18 – 48 Years Old
For too long, young people in Bida have been reduced to political thugs and not granted adequate opportunity to play vital roles in shaping the future of Niger state. And the truth is that, the blame lay squarely on the youths themselves.
My dear youths of Niger state while you hold back and doubt yourself, your age grade all over the world are taking over and achieving great things in the realm of politics. Last year a 39 years old Emmanuel Frederic Macron beat the odds and became president of France, the fifth richest country in the world, in a feat which the average Nigerian youth will deem impossible within the confines of the Nigerian political system.
Just recently, as if though it were an April fool, a 38 year old Carlos Alvarado Quesada defeated a 43 year old veteran politician, Fabricio Alvarado, to emerge president-elect of Costa Rica, on April 1, 2018. If you think it is April fool wait and see him take the oath of office in May, 2018. And of interest, is the fact that the contestants are both young men.
35 years ago, a teacher told us in St. John primary school, Bida that we are the future leaders, today he has retired but decided to become the political leader of our generation. The question begging for an answer is when will that future come? When will the Nigerian youths truly aspire to be the leaders they were told they will become?
If you are 35 years old today, you were 2 years old when IBB was Head of State, 4 years old when Prof Jerry Gana headed MAMSER, 15 years old when General Abubakar Abulsalam was Head of State, and 16 years old when President Obasanjo came out of prison and became President of Nigeria in 1999. Today we still rely on this same people to shape the future of Niger state, and Nigeria at large; a future they may not be a part of.
There is absolutely no point settling for those that have had more than enough years in service but did little or nothing to make Niger state a better place for our generation and the next generation. The youths are tired of unconditional postponement of the future we were promised to become leaders in government. Boys have become men, therefore the future is now.
It is time for a paradigm shift in Bida politics. It is time to open up the political space in Bida LGA and allow young people to occupy leadership position in government. It is time for young people in Bida to be given power to shape their future, for their generation and the next generation. We are grateful for the N-Power but now we want P-Power (political power).
We will wait no more for a future that has refused to come. That teacher that told us 35 years ago in St. John primary school, Bida that we are the future leader was right. What he forgot to tell us is that nobody will tell us when that future is. Therefore we have decided to make 2019 general elections that future we were promised.
Just like young Emmanuel Frederic Macron of France and Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica, young people in Bida must rise above political enslavement, stereotype and domination by older generation and change the political narrative. It is time to change the status quo. However, we must start small and grow big. Let us start from Bida LGA and later go national.
This is a passionate appeal for our grandfathers, fathers, retired teachers and other retirees, to leave Councillorship and State House of Assembly seats in Bida LGA for the younger generation between the age brackets of 18 – 48 years old. The older generation should step aside and play mentorship role for the younger generation in the art of political leadership.
Abdullahi Yunusa is an advocate for youth participation in politics and writes from Bida Local Government Area of Niger state.
To be continued…..
