From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu

 

Nigerian youths have been charged not to wait until they turned 40 or 50 years before assuming positions of leadership.

 

Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Catholic Bishop of Nsukka, Prof. Godfrey Onah and former Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke Jr. who gave the charge to youths at the weekend in Enugu, urged them to realize that their future starts now.

 

The trio who spoke at an International Conference, “Shaping the Future,” organised by International ward winner, Noel Alumona of the Boys Champions, at the Base Event Centre, Independent Layout, Enugu, challenged the Nigerian youths as future leaders to rise up and make Nigeria better.

 

Onaiyekan who received a Peace Award from the organization 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.

 

He said, “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 seem to abdicate their dignity to the leaders once they (leaders) are elected into office, insisting that leaders should be servants and not to be served by the people that gave them power.

 

Stressing that unless servant leadership was restored, Nigeria would continue to roll aimlessly, he said, “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.”

 

On his part, Bishop Onah, commended Noel Alumona for bring the youths together to discuss the way forward for their future and stated that the youths were not leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today and should not sit and watch things rot in the country.

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Onah stressed that the leaders knew the import and importance of education hence do not want the youths to be educated so that they would not be challenged.

 

The Bishop therefore, charged the youths to stop waiting for opportunities but rise to the occasion and take their destiny.

 

He said, “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.

 

Also speaking, Nweke Jr. said all the rot in the country both at federal and states could be traced to one thing, 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 lat 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 retired the inept leaders.

 

Welcoming his guests, the Founder/Director of Boys Champions, Alumona, said his organization makes the youths to maximize their potentials and encourage them to realise their dreams in spite of the daunting socio-economic challenges in the country.

 

Describing  the youths as the change agents that Nigeria needs to move forward, Alumona said for the 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.

 

He said, “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.”