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Yusuf Sheriff Banki
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Decades of the civil rule in Nigeria have produced a disturbing profile in various sectors of the society, including citizens’ expectations on the mode of the governance that raised, in the first instance, their hope that all will be all right at the end of military rule.
Besides, the past years have created a generalized crisis of rising expectations particularly as democratic institutions continued to exhibit weaknesses in meeting the democratic aspirations of the people.
The lamentation was made by the Convener of National Youths Inclusive In Governance Organization (NYIGO), Hon. Yusuf Sheriff Banki while addressing a Press conference at the end of North-East one day round table strategic meeting held at the multipurpose hall of Pali Suites, Bauchi Saturday evening.
He stressed that the returned to democracy in Nigeria after almost three decades of military authoritarian rule, has produced two related euphoria in the minds of Nigerians.
The first according to him is that , there was the joy of witnessing the end of nauseating authoritarian tendencies and misrule, which by then had taken a serious toll on the country’s ability to nurture and develop democratic institutions.
He added that, the second euphoria was predicted on the expectations that the new democratic government would turn around the country’s ominous past leadership trajectories and engender peace, unity, good governance and development.
“If one is to sum up these expectations within the context of almost three decades of continuous transition from civilian government to another, it could be summarized that by 2023, Nigeria would be one of the biggest democracies not only in Africa but also among the so-called third wave democracies”, Yusuf Sheriff Banki, stated.
He opined that though progress has been achieved in some respects, but to a greater extent, the epileptic process of nurturing a virile democratic culture has a rolling back effect on the development of democratic institutions.
The NYIGO Convener added that “political parties are today a reflection of their forebears; they do not change the narratives of the past dispensations. At the apex of the sorry state of political parties is the phenomenon of rising undemocratic practices, which have thrown the lifeline of party politics into civilian autocracy with high manifestation of weak or no internal democracy”.
According to him, “The role of the security agencies leave much to be desired; exhausted by Boko haram insurgency in the North East and engagement with the militants in the South-South . The herdsmen versus farmers’ conflicts in the North-Central states as well as kidnappings and armed banditry on local communities and villages in Niger state and the North-Western states of Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto have remained unabated”.
He further said that, “At another level, the past decades of civilian rule have witnesses a series of threats of varying proportions to the corporate existence of the country due to resurgence of ethno-religious, communal and political violence. Old social vices reared their ugly heads and compound the existing ones with frightening dimensions, while relatively new ones such as kidnapping for ransoms and attacks on civilian communities are on the increase”.
On Youth inclusion in governance and political participation, he emphasized that, “It is not a gain saying that youths are the leaders of tomorrow and vanguards of today’s political change. It is also pertinent to note that democratic governance does not operate in a vacuum; it has some ingredients that shape its growth, development and sustenance”.
According to him, “One of these ingredients of democratic governance is the input of youth in the political process. Therefore, the youths are the seeds of representational democracy because they help immensely for democracy to germinate with constructive philosophies and principles; they also nurture politics of social, economic and political transformations”.
He stressed that whether in advanced or developing societies, the youths can only realize their potentials and participate actively in the struggle for social transformation when they are empowered and their historical relevance in the crusade is recognized, cherished and encouraged by the state and society.
He further said that “in developing societies like ours in which democracy is yet to find a strong foothold in the political system the task before the youth is both enormous and challenging” .
Sherrif Banki stressed that, “Nigeria has a robust youth environment and an increasing youth population. It has one of the most youthful populations in the world. The 2008 declaration by the African Union General Assembly affirming 2009 to 2019 “African decade for youths ” is in recognition of youth identity and politics as a global driving force for social transformation”.
He explained that the declaration was premised on the need to increase global interest in youths participation and development but lamented that, “despite eliciting an encouraging level of interest, the policies and programs designed to scale to the level of youth participation has yielded limited results” .
According to Yusuf Sheriff Banki, the Nigerian Youth Manifesto (2011), active and constructive youths participation in the Nigerian political process has gradually become non-existent over the years.
He stated that, “Apparently, most youths in the political space, particularly those in political parties, are oftentimes used as thugs by politicians who seek selfish political gains through the perpetuation of violence. For an all-encompassing and participatory democracy to thrive in Nigeria, young people must play important and active roles in determining the political future of their country by engaging political actors with demands for inclusion and equal access to political participation”.
“Emphatically, Nigeria’s democratic history cannot be written without the mention of the immense contribution of young people. The pre-independence struggle was led by young people like Dr. Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Chief H O Davis, Malam Sa’adu Zungur, J C Vaughan, Oba Samuel Akinsanya, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, 27 years, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa”, he pointed out.
He added that, “These great men were considered to be in their prime during Nigeria’s liberation struggle. For example, Tafawa Balewa was elected into the Northern House of Assembly at the tender age of 34 and later into the legislative assembly at the age of 37. Shehu Shagari was 21 years old when he began his political life. At 23 he merged his political organization, The Youth Social Circle with other political organizations to create the Northern People’s Congress (NPC). Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule on his part was made a minister in his twenties”.
He however lamented that, “Despite the immense contribution of young people to the democratic development in Nigeria, the current political class has failed to appreciate “youth power” and the dynamics they bring to bear in political terrain” .
According to him, “Experts and youth advocates have argued that the Nigeria political and electoral system is perpetually skewed to exclude young people from qualitative political participation” .
He said that, “The political marginalization of young people rests squarely on centrifugal forces that are artificially created by “stereotypes” which serve as lubricants for oiling the wheel of political exclusion. The present status quo of entrenched youth marginalization is viewed in some quarters as a factor that fuels insurgency, criminality and violence across the length and breath of our dear country”.
“Exclusion of youths from political participation and decision making is underscored by trivial responsibilities apportioned to youth such as posting of posters, distribution of campaign materials, singing and dancing during campaigns and party conventions, mobilization of thugs and crowds”, Sheriff Banki added.
He stressed that, “These can neither be referred to as inclusion nor qualitative participation since they do not translate into access to the structures of decision making. It is widely accepted view that increased youth political participation in governance and decision-making is a clear indicator of a country’s democratic development”.
Since democracy thrives on the ability of citizens to enforce their rights by participating in decision making, young people must be given the opportunity to contribute to the development of their communities through political participation that grants them access to structures of governance where decisions are taken.
That access and opportunity to participate must be provided as a matter of rights and not a privilege as enshrined under section 14 (2) in the 1999 constitution as amended, and as reiterated in National Youth Policy (2009), African Youth Charter and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Good Governance.
With over 60% of the country’s voting population dominated by young eligible voters, it is critical to give them their rightful place in the political space.
On preparation ahead of the 2023 General Elections, he said that the country would be heading towards the 2023 general elections with a lot of expectations and hopes saying that, “it is therefore pertinent to note that, it is not going to be business as usual” .
He opined that the success of the exercise will clear a road map for another journey in transition to democracy stressing that the youth forces under the egis of NYIGO and affiliate are determined and have since launched an aggressive mobilization across the length and breadth of the country”.
According to him, “There is no doubting the fact that the input and resources of the youth are needed to further accelerate the engine of progress in the country. So far, the youth have been neglected and forced to surrender to their fates, resulting in politicians using them as tool of violence and destruction, political corruption and misdemeanor”.
He concluded that, “For the proper appreciation of their role in governance and democratic deepening, the youth should be empowered with political education, mentorship and employment opportunities which will ultimately serve as succession plan for them to take over the affairs of governance when the time come”.
