The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso has joined other concerned Nigerians to canvas a close-nit engagement of the youths in nation building.
Omotoso was joined by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed among others to chat a path towards the development of the Youths at the 13th convocation of Caleb University, Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Omotoso delivered the convocation lecturer, titled: “Closing the generational gap between the old and young in Nigerian politics.
He said said there is an urgent need to bridge the generational gap between the old and young in the nation’s politics for improved development and progress of the country.
He identified youths as the leaders of today rather than tomorrow, while urging them to brace up and shun peer pressure which could jeopardize their attainment of greatness as leaders.
The Commissioner applauded the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administrations for appointing many youths in their cabinets.
He implored the graduating students to always think out of the box for entrepreneurship engagement, rather than looking for unavailable white collar jobs.
“Let me state that the common cliché that youths are leaders of tomorrow is no longer in tune with present-day reality. The truth is that what becomes of tomorrow is determined by what happens today. So, the more everyone grasps the fact that the youth are actually the leaders of today and not tomorrow, the better for all.
“Looking at the example of the younger members of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet in Lagos State, one is bound to reaffirm that the future is now.
“Fortunately, they are yet to disappoint the people as they cover themselves in glory through trail-blazing performances,” Omotoso explained.
He said; “To further harness the peculiar talent of youth in the state, Governor Sanwo-Olu has prioritised youth empowerment in all its budgets. All the budgets of the current administration since 2019 have been carefully designed to meet the aspirations of the teeming youth by focusing on sectors with job-creating potential like agriculture, construction, technology and security.”
Youths Participation
In his presentation, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi applauded the university for raising the bar of education and discipline in the 21th century youths.
Ogunwusi urged the youths to participate actively in nation building and contribute their quota to the growth of Nigeria. He used the opportunity to call on Nigerian Government to take urgent step in addressing sufferings commuters are going through on Ikorodu/Itokin Road.
Other dignitaries at the occasion included former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, representative of the Benue state Governor, Traditional rulers and the Inspector General of Police who was represented by Commissioner for Police in Lagos. He called for adequate representation of the youths at all levels to enable them get exposed to the intricacies of governance before taking up the mantle of leadership.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
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