Harnessing youth energy pathway for sustainable future – SDP

Mr Wafarniyi Theman, National Vice-Chairman, (North East) of Social Democratic Party (SDP) says harnessing youth energy for national development is a pathway for sustainable future of Nigeria and indeed the world.

Theman said this while delivering a keynote speech at a programme organised by the party to commemorate International Youth Day 2024.

The title of his speech was “Equipping the youth for leadership: gap-bridging tactics for political participation”.

International Youth Day is commemorated every year on 12 August, bringing youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrating the potential of youth as partners in development.

Theman identified the youth.population as an indispensable building block in planning for sustainable development.

“It is an established fact that youths constitute the most productive component of a nation’s population.

“The economic development of Nigeria, therefore, has a direct relationship with the level of youth development and integration in the nation’s economy.

“The United Nations 2022 World Population report projected that by 2050 Nigeria will be the fourth most populated country on earth with 375 million people.

“The youths will account for about 252 million of the population,” he said.

He also advocated for more youth participation in politics.

He said that while digital technologies were vital tools that help bridge gaps, create opportunities, and spur innovation across all sectors of society, political participation remained a greater tool for the Nigerian youth.

He identified lack of access to political education, lack of finance, lacj of trust, as well as perception issue as major barriers confronting youth participation in politics.

He called for investments in comprehensive civic education, scholarships and grants, mentorship and role modelling to address the concerns of the youth.

“The ways in which the challenges and potentials of young people are addressed by policy will influence social and economic conditions and the well-being and livelihood of future generations,” he said.

The Action Alliance (AA) 2023 Presidential Candidate, Dr Al-Mustapha Hamza, who was a guess speaker at the event, also called for more investment in the youth of the country.

Al-Mustapha, speaking on “the role of young people in shaping Nigeria’s future: Challenges and opportunities” said that investment in the youths remained the best investment for any nation.

He identified poor leadership as one of the greatest challenges facing the youths, urging them to continue to ask questions from leaders and seek answers to them.

“The youth must be united in their struggle, and except you are united, there will be stagnation,” Al-Mustapha said.

He challenged Nigeria youths to rise up and set the pace for political development for other Africa countries to follow

Al-Mustapha urged the youths to embrace IT and Artificial intelligence, which are currently ruling the world.

“If the youth can unite there will be no need for protest, when the time comes for election, use your number to elect those that you want,” he said.