From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Nigerian youths have been charged not to wait until they are 40 or 50 years before assuming positions of leadership.
Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Bishop of Nsukka, Prof. Godfrey Onah and former minister of information and communication, Frank Nweke Jr., gave the charge at an international conference, “Shaping the future,” organised by Boys Champions in Enugu.
In their separate presentations, they urged youths to realise that their future starts now and challenged them to rise up and make Nigeria better.
Onaiyekan, who received a peace award from the organisation for what he has been doing with his Onaiyekan Peace Foundation, noted that the present crop of leaders in Nigeria were not leading well hence, the youths should rise to the challenge and change the status quo.
“We have had leaders in Nigeria but they are not leading us a right. Don’t wait till you are 40 or 50 years before you become a leader or aspire to lead.”
The Cardinal lamented the attitude of the Nigerian populace, who he said seemed to have abdicated their dignity to the leaders once they (leaders) were elected into office, insisting that leaders should be servants and not to be served by those that gave them power.
He stressed that unless servant leadership was restored, Nigeria would continue to roll aimlessly.
“Once we vote our leaders, we relax as if we have abdicated our dignity and responsibility. Are the leaders in Nigeria lording it over us or are they the servant leadership? If we don’t retrieve servant leadership, we’ll continue to roll around.”
Bishop Onah commended the international award winner and organiser of the programme, Noel Alumona, for bringing the youths together to discuss the way forward for their future.
He stressed that the leaders knew the import and importance of education hence they did not want the youths to be educated so that they would not be challenged. The bishop, therefore, charged them to stop waiting for opportunities but rise to the occasion and take their destiny.
“The older logs are occupying the place. The youths are not leaders of tomorrow, they are leaders of today. The youths are controlling the machine of this country. Youths wait for opportunities instead of rising to the occasion.”
In his remarks, Nweke Jr. said all the rot in the country, both at federal and states, could be traced to leadership, insisting that unless Nigerians elect the leaders with character, integrity, who are credible and have capacity, the country and states would continue to go down.
Recalling the likes of the late Michael Okpara, he said such leaders were youths when they took over leadership and urged the youths to stop blaming or pointing fingers but use their votes in the coming election wisely to retire the inept leaders.
Alumona described the youths as the change agents that Nigeria needs to move forward.
He said for youths to achieve it, they ought to have good education and skills, pointing out that the youths should not give up on Nigeria but rise to reorder things.
“The present government has united us in suffering. In the forthcoming elections, we should vote character and competence instead of parties or ethnic lineage. You are the change and you are the future. We should not withdraw our agitation for a better Nigeria. We must not be silent in any season.”