Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Atahiru Jega, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to adopt youths as change agents as part of its transformation agenda.
Jega made the call while fielding questions from newsmen at the sideline of a funeral service organized by civil society organisations in honour of late Director-General of The Electoral Institute, Prof. Abubakar Momoh.
He said that Nigerians had capable youths that could chart the course for a great nation but that the challenge was that they had been abandoned.
“There is a lot to give us concern as a nation about the way our country is being run, because we have able and capable young men and women out there.
“All they need is the opportunity to contribute to the development of this country.
Speaking on the life and times of the deceased, Jege said, “Momoh used to say that the youths are the majority demographically but politically, they are the minority.
“So, we need to cultivate these youths with the right attitude and values and bring them to the forefront because in the world over, youths are the transformative agents of countries.
“In our own country, we underrate them, we don’t give them good education, and they don’t get employment so they apply their creative ability to criminality,’’ he said.
He described Momoh as a man with certain values of integrity, of selflessness, and of service to the country and humanity.
Comments