Few people have accepted President Bola Tinubu’s decision to call a youth conference to address the numerous issues facing Nigerian youth since his October 1 Independence Speech, in which he declared to the world that he was prepared to do so.
Others have decided that it was another wise move to gain the favor of the youths in front of the 2027 presidential election, while others have written it off as just another round of political rambling to waste the nation’s limited resources.
In other words, contrary to what he stated in the speech, the president was more focused on how to secure his reelection in 2027 than he was on the welfare and well-being of the youth.
It is also obvious that he wants to address the problems and obstacles that young people are currently facing; at least, that was made quite plain in his speech.
It is also useful to see that the announcement has been followed by replies.
President Tinubu announced his intention to hold a 30-day national youth conference during his Independence Day Anniversary Speech on Tuesday, October 1, in order to address the various opportunities and challenges that the country’s youth, who make up over 60% of the population, face.
The president stated that the youth conference’s goal was to spark significant discussion and guarantee that young people’s opinions were heard when crafting the laws that affect their lives, which would be a pathway to a brighter future.
Nonetheless, the Voters Rights Association of Nigeria (VRAN) is one of the numerous organizations that have opposed the action.
The group has called President Tinubu’s proposed 30-day national youths’ summit a nationwide sham to steal, siphon, and waste fuel subsidy money profits.
The group’s president, Jezie Ekejiuba, a human rights attorney, claims that the planned youth conference is a nationwide jamboree that will give the current administration’s incompetent and dishonest political office holders another chance to embezzle, squander, and siphon billions of naira that have been saved thus far from the Tinubu administration’s harsh policy of eliminating the gasoline subsidy.
According to Ekejiuba, the delegates to the proposed youth conference would be chosen, appointed, or elected by the same children or relatives of the current political office holders, not by the children or relatives of the majority of the suffering Nigerian youths or masses.
He also maintained that the president does not require such a conference to comprehend the difficulties that Nigerian youth face, stating that a number of rallies, most notably the most recent #EndBadGovernance demonstration, were unmistakable statements of the struggles that Nigerian youth face today.
“VRAN wants to let President Tinubu know that his government does not require the so-called 30-day youth confab to be aware of the opportunities and challenges,” he stated.
“The nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests earlier this year served as a sobering reminder of the issues facing not only Nigerian youths but also the country’s citizens in general, as the demonstrations exposed a number of issues, such as the insecurity crisis brought on by Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping, high food prices, electricity bills, transportation services, prohibitive costs of education and health care, and a high unemployment rate, among others, which were brought on by the current administration’s abrupt removal of the country’s gasoline subsidy.
Because, as they say, “actions speak louder than words,” VRAN argues that the Nigerian youngsters now deserve nothing more than acts rather than rhetoric or voices resonating from the proposed youth congress.
We would like to remind the Tinubu administration that even under Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s military rule, when Nigerians faced a similar economic crisis, Gowon showed compassion and empathy for the hungry and suffering Nigerian people by establishing a social security program known as the Udoji Awards to lessen the pain of the severe economic policies currently in place in Nigeria.
“VRAN hereby calls on President Tinubu to implement a social security program that will benefit the rest of the Nigerian population by the Federal Government of Nigeria agreeing to pay the Dangote Refinery half of the cost price of a litre of every Dangote fuel product to give Nigerians a new lease of life.”
Speaking about the development, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), said that the 30-day conference would provide a platform for the president and the youths to discuss and find answers to some of the problems facing Nigerian young. Instead, he made it clear that it would mean nothing.
He pointed out that Nigeria has held a number of conferences, such as the one presided over by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, whose report outlined solutions to the country’s youth issues. He insisted that if the president truly wished to address the issues facing Nigeria’s youth, he should simply put the conference’s recommendations into effect.
In the past, we’ve had nationwide conferences. The final one was the 2014 conference, which provided us with a roadmap for achieving a better Nigeria for all Nigerians.
“Everything has been discussed, including issues pertaining to young people. In order to ensure that constitutional amendments reach a point where many of the issues that Nigerians face can be resolved, I believe the government should examine the 2014 Confab report as it impacts our youth and other areas rather than establishing another bureaucracy for political reasons,” he said.
Additionally, he believes that President Tinubu’s proposed youth gathering is a political sham with the only goal of winning over young people to the president’s 2027 reelection campaign.
“The projected 30-day youth summit is a political jamboree, in my opinion. Mr. President is merely attempting to get political support from the youth. Everything else about the adolescents has been explained in detail in the 2014 Confab report.
“Let such measures be put into place so that we can create a better Nigeria where our young people may receive tutoring to succeed the older age and receive some mentoring along the way.
He argued that instead of enhancing Nigerian governance, “going and holding another conference with the youths is, in my opinion, a political ploy to garner support and have a base of support from the youths for the government.”
Alhaji Yerim Shettima, the head of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), however, holds a different viewpoint. He said that Mr. President’s suggestion was a smart one. The young person should appear involved, he said.
They must have faith in the possibility of hope. You must help them believe in themselves, but you can only do that if you know what is bothering them and you understand them. Thus, I believe the administration has performed admirably. I applaud the president for coming up with the concept,” he said
But he also voiced concerns that it would wind up like previous talks without a clear plan to put its suggestions into practice.
My concern is that the conversation shouldn’t turn into one of those encounters when, at the conclusion of everything, documents are placed on the table and the conversation comes to an end. Whatever the dialogue’s conclusion is, there needs to be a follow-up to put it into action. I hope it succeeds,” he said.
He dismissed concerns that it would be a ruse to boost support for Tinubu’s 2027 reelection campaign, stating that the 2014 confab report included all of the issues confronting young people and their solutions: “I think this will be different because it will solely be focussed on the youths.
“Everything was covered in the 2014 Confab report, but as young people are directly impacted by some of the issues we face today, this report will focus exclusively on them. Thus, in my opinion, they are two distinct things.Ikechukwu Onodi, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, also expressed in his contribution that he did not think the youth summit would have any positive results.
He characterized it as a settlement and diversionary strategy used over time by the current All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
He pointed out that its sole purpose is to divert people’s focus from the primary problem, which is corruption and poor leadership, which he claimed has caused the country to experience immense economic suffering.
According to him, the 30-day youth conference is a long-term diversionary and settlement tactic used by governments. The primary goal is to provide conversation starters while the looting and poor governance persist.
Additionally, he concurred with others who believe that the conference is intended to prepare the way for significant youth support for President Tinubu’s 2027 reelection.
Additionally, it’s a tactic used to buy off young people in hopes of gaining acceptance in 2027. “This is one of the plans to prevent a recurrence of the 2023 experience with the youth, as you will remember that the APC was a hard sell to the youth during the general elections in 2023,” he said.
