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Peace be upon you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit on this august gathering of godly young Christian brethren in this special month of October. As your Muslim brethren, I stand on this exalted ground in absolute humility with love in my heart before God and his precious young children. We were admonished in book of Ephesians 4:2 to “always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. As your beloved, in whom you have entrusted the enormous responsibility of leadership, I love you with the love of God in the name of Jesus Christ the redeemer of mankind.
The term ‘youth’ and the phrase ‘young people’ are generally interchangeable with one often used to describe the other. There is no conclusive consensus about the age description of a youth or a young person. The United Nations, using education as a benchmark, regards a youth as young person between the ages of 15 and 24, while the African Youth Charter adopts ages 15 to 35. Some member nations of the international community have distinct peculiarities in their age categorization of youths. For Brazil, its 15 to 29, while Nigeria, Vietnam and most of Southeast Asia adopts the ages 15 to 35 as ideally youthful.
Beyond age categorization, ’youth’ is also defined as a social position between adolescence through teenage to adulthood. This constitutes the very important formative stage of individuals’ lives as their character content, ethics, moral conduct, skills and general worldview will be shaped by parental influence, peer pressure and societal norms, all of which combine to prepare them for leadership roles. To make political, business and community leaders out of young Christians, parents, families and the larger society should imbue in youths the ways of God in moral uprightness, love of mankind and the willingness to sacrifice for others as exemplified by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, in Proverbs 22:6 says ‘’train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows up he won’t depart from it’’.
Being young is not a disadvantage in leadership but rather a great advantage. The Bible says in Timothy 4:12 “don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity’’. Throughout the ages, the energy, virility, knowledge, courage and strength of young people have formed the bulwark of all societies. David, a young man, saved his nation of Israel from Philistine onslaught when he killed Goliath at a youthful age of 17. The Bible described this event in the following words in 1 Samuel 17:48-51, “And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.” Before this feat, young David was an obedient son of a righteous father [1 Samuel 17:17-20], a brave soldier [1 Samuel 17: 26 and 32] who was reputed for killing lions and bears with his own hands and most importantly he had absolute trust in God [1 Samuel 37:45-47]. Having distinguished himself as a young man of courage, strength and love of God, David was anointed the King of Israel at the youthful age of 32.
The amazing story of David is not a rarity in the Bible. The Bible is replete with inspiring examples of young people who made great differences in leadership that changed the world for good. Joseph, the son of Jacob who was an obedient child of his righteous father and was gifted with visionary abilities, become a senior counsellor in the household of Egyptian noble Potiphar at just 17 [Gen 37:2] and [Gen 39:1-4]. Josiah was eight years old when he became king in Jerusalem [2 Chronicles 34:1-2]. The womb that carried Jesus Christ through Immaculate Conception was that of Mary of Nazareth, a 17 years old virgin. Flowing from these illustrious examples from the Bible, it is clear that God has bestowed upon youths the responsibility of leadership by service to humanity. Leadership is a burden of service that is best borne by the strong arms of youths with courage and vigor.
In a liberal democracy such as Nigeria, political participation is the sure path to political leadership. For youths to be politically relevant in political leadership, they must participate actively in the political process. Contrary to widely held opinions in some quarters, young people have been opportune to participate actively in the political space throughout Nigeria’s contemporary history. The Nigerian Youth Movement [NYM] was a major driving force behind the anti-colonial struggle for independent Nigeria. The founding father of NYM, Prof. Eyo Ita, was 30 years old when he mobilized other young Nigerians together in 1933 around a pan-Nigerian cause of action for independence. Nnamdi Azikiwe expanded the frontiers of the NYM when he returned from the United States armed with a doctorate and joined the fledgling youth organization at the youthful age of 33. Other founding members of the NYM like Obafemi Awolowo and Samuel L Akintola were young men of ages 24 and 23, respectively. Ahmadu Bello, who wasn’t a member of NYM, nevertheless, was already taking up responsibilities of leadership at about the same time, when he was appointed the district head of Rabbah at the youthful age of 25 in 1934 by Sultan Hassan. These young men went on to become the founding fathers of post-independence Nigeria after working hard to win freedom for their country. At independence in 1060, Azikiwe, leader of the NCNC, was appointed the Governor-General and, later, in 1963, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ahmadu Bello, as the leader of the NPC, was the Premier of Northern Nigeria, while Awolowo, as the leader of AG, was also the opposition leader in the federal parliament. In contemporary times, a considerable number of young people have successfully ascended the ladder of political leadership at various levels in Nigeria.
Understandably, there appears to be a reawakening among young Nigerians that are feeling marginalized in the scheme of things in the political space. Politics, like every other profession, has a career path that spans over a period of time. The political space today appears to be dominated by veteran politicians who have stayed on the scene for between 30 and 40 years. Even though most of them started participating in politics in their youth, they are still very active in their old age. The “Not too Young to Run” movement has ushered in an era of a massive quest for increased youth participation in politics. While this is commendable, young Nigerians should resist the temptation of being categorized as a dependent group that should be spoon-fed with affirmative action, which lowers the bar of entry qualification into the political space. For young Nigerians to get a better deal from Nigerian political processes, they must imbibe the courage of David, the vision of Joseph and virtuousness of Virgin Mary. Similarly, young Nigerians must draw inspiration from the nation’s founding fathers by rolling up their sleeves, acquiring the necessary education as well as vocational skills and distinguish themselves in whatever chosen career. To acquire the needed social capital that is required to excel in politics, young Nigerians must first distinguish themselves as good examples, as obedient children of their God-fearing parents and deploy their energy and strength in positive endeavours that create value for both self and the society at large.
Young Nigerians should seek to be the solution to problems they have identified in the polity. The youths must deploy their strength, knowledge and courage to shoulder the enormous burden of society. They must step out of the fringes and advance innovative ideas to solve societal problems. They must be ready to take the lead in making sacrifices for the common good of all. Young people must stop agonizing and start organizing themselves into forces of positive transformation. Young people should begin to take full responsibility for their political destinies by demanding good governance and demonstrate good qualities of leadership, from the home front to the larger society, as clear alternatives to what is currently obtainable.
The next level for youth participation in politics should begin with a resolve to be the solution they seek. Young Nigerians should resist the lure of financial inducement and be resolutely disciplined with high moral ethical conduct. For a nation like Nigeria that is plagued by inept leadership, young Nigerians can step in to salvage their fatherland if only their courage, knowledge and strength stand apart as agents of positive change. Young people can do great things if only they build up immense social capital that is rich in integrity and fidelity to the common good. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose peace and love I pray abide with us now and forever in communion with the Holy Spirit, was a young man of 33 years when he paid the ultimate price to redeem all of mankind on the cross of Calvary.
•Being the text of a speech delivered at the covention of Young Christian Movement
