An APC chieftain, Chief Rotimi Makinde, has asked Nigerian youth to be ready to take their destiny in their hands as they prepare for future leadership.
Makinde who was reacting to
the outburst of the CEO of WomenTakeLagosTeam, an NGO, against the publisher of a popular online magazine, Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, who is now a presidential candidate in Nigeria, said, rather than launching any form of attack that could distract or frustrate him, all that Sowore needs now is encouragement, particularly from the youth generation whom he is on a mission to rescue from leadership bondage.
“I’m not speaking for Sowore neither am I condemning Adetoun’s decision to air whatever grievances she might have with him, but I feel concerned about the timing of the video clip released by Adetoun. Like Sowore, Adetoun too belongs to the youth generation and it is only appropriate for any youth to support rather than throwing spanners in the progress wheels the effort presently being made by young men like Sowore and co to make the voice of the youths count,” Makinde submits, adding that Adetoun is known to him as a cerebral and up-and-doing lady from her secondary school days who possesses the quality to pass grievances in more mature ways, wondering the point of disconnect with Sowore.
The Osun State born Nollywood actor-turned politician, recounts his own experience when at age 46 in 2015 he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives to a 74 years old opponent.
“The youths should come together and support their own. In 2015, at 46, I lost my reelection bid to a 74 years old man. It is not because I didn’t perform while at the House of Representatives, it was because of the way our system was structured to place the destiny of the young in the hands of the old. If at that time, members of my generations had joined me to fight the injustice in the system, perhaps I would still be serving my people now. But nobody fought for me, no one came to my aid.”
Makinde, therefore, urged the youths to rally together and save their future.
-Folorunsho ‘Ade’ Hamsat
