By Aisha Sulaiman
Youth is the revolutionary age, possessing a great level of potential and motivation. It would not be out of place to refer to the youths of Nigeria as the Powerhouse of infinite energy and the Pride of the nation.
The young population, if properly harnessed, can set the society on the path to rapid development and high productivity as it is the driving force towards success. The noninvolvement of youths in useful political activities can hamper the prosperity of the nation and prove baleful.
Over 60% of the Nigerian population are youths, therefore youths must be encouraged to participate actively in building and entrenching democracy and democratic principles as the present and future leaders.
As active citizens, there’s a need to exercise oversight assessment of the Nigerian system of government. Youths must have a sense of what representative democracy entails if they are to participate and advocate responsibly. An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a nation, It begins with citizens being educated to effectively assess issues, form reasoned opinions, express themselves clearly, and navigate the political process.
The glaring apathy of citizens’ involvement in development issues in their local societies and communities has been traced to lack of capacity, skill, and pre-requisite knowledge for involvement.
Public enlightenment is crucial in a democracy, equipping youths with knowledge about what a democracy and Constitution entails. It exposes citizens to the mechanisms to adopt in protecting and improving their democratic principles, ideologies, and Institutions, to stand on the foundation that sovereignty is with the people, and that the role of members of government is to serve them, to be public servants.
Aisha Sulaiman writes from the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA).
