Former president of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said on Wednesday that African youths should displace older people from the leadership position. This was said while he was giving the keynote address at an interactive session held virtually to mark this year’s International Youth Day.
The programme was organised by the Youth Development Centre, an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Contributors were drawn from Nigeria, Mali, USA, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
According to former president, Obasanjo, unless old people are compulsorily brought out of political power, they will continue to lead and the youth wont have an opportunity to lead
Obasanjo said “Unless you force out those who are in power and those who want to remain in office perpetually, some after the age of 80, unless you squeeze them out, they will not want to be out.
“The type of change I am talking about, that I believe we can all embark upon is to subscribe to the constitution of political parties in favour of youths. Or if you like it you call it affirmative action in favour of youths. For instance, if you say, in the constitution of a political party, not less than 50 per cent of those who hold executive office within the party will be less than 40 years.
“You can even go beyond that and say that people who will be put up for election, not less than 50 per cent of them will be less than 40 years of age. That’s affirmative action. That’s positive discrimination in favour of youths.
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