The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has said that Nigerian youths are denied leadership opportunities because they are not captured in the nation’s constitution.
The monarch stated this while conferring an award on the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta in Abuja.
“The youth of this country are neglected by the leaders because they were not factored in the constitution. It is left for them to hold that leadership mantle and for them to hold that sense of leadership.
“Most of the leaders of today became leaders in their 30s. The youth of this country own this country because 60% of the population is under the age of 30 and 75% is under the age of 40, and the remaining 25% is others.
“So, the youths (75%) own the country. The youths need to come together and come up with initiatives, hold one another, pull one another up, walk towards the betterment of the future. Don’t think you are too young. The problem with Nigerian leaders is that they do not give Nigerian youths 100 percent independence to run their initiatives.
“It is about time for every youth to wake up from slumber .You are to tell the nation what should be done, not the other way round, not the minority telling you what to be done. The future is bright for you, work towards how to better this country.
“Opportunities are what can bring wealth, not money. Think outside the box and don’t wait for anybody, rise up to the occasion of being independent. It is about time for us to see the good side of this country. I am here to encourage you that you are all important,” the Ooni said.
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