Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has challenged Nigerian youths and young professionals to take ownership of the country’s political future, declaring that politics must move beyond intellectual discourse and be taken to the grassroots where electoral decisions are made.
Adebayo, who spoke in Abuja while receiving members of the Young Professionals for Social Change and the Confederation of West African Youths at the SDP National Secretariat, said Nigeria’s economic, security and developmental challenges were largely man-made and could therefore be resolved through purposeful leadership, competence and unity of purpose.
He urged the youths to reject political mobilisation based on religion, ethnicity, gender or region, arguing that no sustainable solution could emerge from a system that deliberately excludes any section of the country.
According to him, Nigeria possessed the human and natural resources required for development and has no natural impediment preventing it from achieving prosperity.
“This country has no natural barrier, no natural limitation, no natural enemies, and we are surrounded by good neighbours who love us. You have inherited the greatest inheritance any generation can get, which is Nigeria.
“In settled communities, young people scratch their heads asking what to contribute because all problems seem solved. In our case, we have a country to build virtually from scratch. To me, that’s a great opportunity,” he said.
The SDP candidate said the central challenge confronting Nigeria was not a shortage of talented individuals but the absence of a structured system for producing leaders capable of working towards a common national objective.
He drew an analogy with the legal profession, where aspiring lawyers pass through clearly defined stages of education and professional training before being admitted to practice, arguing that politics should similarly serve as a training ground for responsible leadership.
He described political parties as the “university” through which leaders should be developed and prepared for public service.