Youths Blame Nigerian Woes on Old Leaders

The Chairman, Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) Mr. Moses Siasia has blamed the current woes Nigeria was passing through on the activities of old generation leaders who have refused the quit corridor of power

Siasia, who stated this on Friday in Abuja at a launch of a campaign tagged: “Nigerian Elders give Young People a Chance”, said the campaign was in tandem with the Forum’s strive to engender a generational shift in governance.

He added that the essence of the campaign was to drive down the message that time had come for old generation leaders and politicians to quit the stage for young people.

Siasia insisted that most problems bedevilling the country today stemmed from the fact that same people who were at leadership cycle since independence were still there either directly or indirectly.

In his words: “We are in a fast-paced world and any nation that does not create room for its young people to take over governance is living in the past. The tempo of global development today is high and only a young and vibrant leadership can cope.

“It is high time Nigeria’s young people were given a chance to assume leadership positions by both elections and appointments.”

Siasia said the population of Nigeria’s young people stood at over 80 million representing half of its 170 million people, adding that such huge chunk of the population cannot be neglected.
According to him, the “movers and shakers’’ of world economy are below 35 years and Nigerian young people cannot afford to lag behind.

He noted that if Gen. Yakubu Gowon was able to rule this country at 32, there was no reason why the youths should not be given the chance.