On Thursday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo revealed to young Nigerians that he is passionate about public service.
Prof. Osinbajo also gave youths the duty of reaching out further to establish connections with and bridges among their peers in semi-urban and rural areas who are less fortunate and exposed than themselves in order to have the desired impact on elections.
The Vice President further stated that such bridge-building would be helpful in bridging the gap in young people’s participation in Nigerian politics. He made these remarks while interacting with young Nigerians who were visiting the Presidential Villa in Abuja under the auspices of the Global Shapers Community, Abuja Hub.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, Professor Osinbajo said: “The vast majority of people who are called youths in Nigeria are disprivileged, they are not people like yourselves.”
He added: “Our politics is still divided even among young people and the reason why they cannot find the critical mass that it takes to promote the kind of candidates that they want in public office is because even among the young people who are interested, their message is still restricted to themselves.
“To make a difference, they must cross that line and be speaking to the masses of young people in our society who don’t have the privilege of knowledge or exposure that this other group has, which really for me, is the next stage of politics in our country.”
Continuing, the Vice President said, “Today, if elections are run again and again, the traditional candidates will win because the people in the hinterlands, people outside of the major urban centres, are not aware of some of the individuals that you might like, and because some of them are not involved in politics centrally, it is very difficult, sometimes even just to gain recognition outside their own immediate spheres of influence.
“So, there is a need for that connection, understanding our society, understanding this country is very important, which is why building bridges is crucial, talking to people across the country is very important. Those are the realities of our politics.”
About his motivation for public service, the Vice President noted that “it is absolute passion, I do not have a drive. It is for me, second nature. I just cannot imagine not being involved in one way or the other in public service. Whatever the realities, whatever is going on in the world, I am still going to be interested in public service.”
