Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has stated that democracy has failed to deliver for youths 23 years after its return to the country.
This was stated by Gbajabiamila on Monday at the launch of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative, a programme for young Nigerians.
He stated that Nigerians must vote for a leader who can manage change, and that expecting youths to remain faithful to democracy is unrealistic.
“It is unrealistic to expect our nation’s youth to commit to sustaining a democracy that hasn’t lived up to their expectations,” he said.
Speaker Gbajabiamila emphasised that many young people in the country have not witnessed military rule and, as a result, cannot be expected to be committed to democracy if they have not benefited from it.
He said, “Nigeria desperately needs leaders with the capacity and character to manage change. The consequences of the changes happening in our world today will depend on how we respond, the decisions we make, and the ideas we choose to invest in.”
To address the problem, Gbajabiamila said “we must act quickly and consistently to include young people in the political and governing process. We do this by creating avenues for leadership development.”