The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged Nigerian youths and young professionals to take active responsibility for the country’s future, saying the challenges confronting the nation provide an opportunity for a new generation to rebuild it.
Adebayo spoke in Abuja when the leadership of the SDP received a delegation of young professionals and youth representatives at the party’s national secretariat for discussions on leadership, governance, economic hardship and national development.
He said rather than becoming overwhelmed by the country’s problems, young Nigerians should see the situation as an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy.
“I congratulate you for inheriting the greatest inheritance any generation can get, which is Nigeria.
“In our own case, we have a country to build virtually from scratch, and to me, that’s a great opportunity,” he said.
Adebayo said while young people in some developed countries inherited societies where many fundamental challenges had already been addressed, Nigerians had the opportunity to become nation-builders by tackling unresolved national problems.
Drawing comparisons with historical figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, he urged Nigerian youths to aspire to play consequential roles in building the country.
He also cited the late nationalist, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose return from Britain, according to him, demonstrated the importance of contributing directly to national development.
Adebayo disclosed that he joined the SDP in 1991 at the age of 19 while studying law at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University.
He said his decision followed his study of the manifestoes of the political parties established during the military era, as well as reports of the Constitutional Assembly.
According to him, the SDP manifesto and the provisions of Chapter Two of the Constitution provided a political philosophy with which he could identify.
Recounting his early experience in the party, he said his first assignments included pasting campaign posters, arguing that political parties should serve as training grounds for future leaders.
“Every one of you is old enough to be national chairman of this party. Every one of you is old enough to be presidential candidates, vice-presidential candidates, senator, anything,” he told the young professionals.
Adebayo said Nigeria lacked a structured system for identifying, training and preparing political leaders, unlike professions such as law, medicine and engineering, where practitioners undergo formal training before assuming professional responsibilities.
He therefore advocated political parties functioning as “universities for training leaders”.
The SDP candidate said Nigeria was not short of highly intelligent and qualified citizens, but argued that individual talents had not been sufficiently organised around a common national purpose.
“We have individual brilliance, but we are a collective disaster,” he said.
He said the challenge was to bring individual abilities together through a shared philosophy and common national objectives.
Adebayo said the SDP’s approach to addressing poverty and insecurity involved institutional reform and the implementation of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in Chapter Two of the Constitution.
He distinguished between what he called the “hard” and “soft” aspects of institutions, explaining that the former included laws, structures, rules and regulations, while the latter concerned the culture and conduct of people operating those institutions.
He urged young professionals to become more involved in politics, saying professional success and intellectual capacity could not by themselves translate into national influence without political participation.
“If you are not interested in politics and you are intelligent, it’s a contradiction there, because you will be intelligent enough to know that without showing interest in politics, your intelligence is irrelevant and useless to your country,” he said.
He also cautioned the youths against ethnic, religious and regional divisions, arguing that national solutions must involve all sections of the country.
“Do not initiate any idea. Do not support any idea. Do not tolerate, concede, condone, acquiesce, assent to any idea that creates division within Nigeria,” Adebayo said.
“The people of Nigeria must come together to solve the problems.”
He further urged Nigerians not to lose hope, saying the challenges facing the country could be overcome.
“You have no option but to love Nigeria, because Nigeria is the only one you have,” he said.
“There is no problem that Nigeria has that cannot be solved. So don’t be hopeless.”
Adebayo said the SDP would continue to engage Nigerians through town-hall meetings across the states and local government areas, with the aim of broadening political participation beyond professional and elite circles.
“We are taking this around the country. We are going to do town hall in every state, in every local government, and we are going to spread the tentacles to all Nigerians,” he said.
The SDP presidential candidate also thanked the visiting young professionals for initiating the engagement, but urged them to focus more on practical contributions to national development than recognition and awards.
“I want us to go and let history, posterity, when we are gone, give us the award. Let us go and do the work,” he said.
Bugaje: Nigeria needs political will, competent leadership
The SDP vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Usman Bugaje, said Nigeria’s development required leaders with both the political will and competence to understand the country’s problems and implement appropriate solutions.
“What we are doing is essentially about you,” Bugaje told the young professionals.
“At our age, some of us, especially myself here, I don’t have much to look forward to, except to go back to my academic and write my books.”
Bugaje identified what he described as the lack of political will and leadership competence as major obstacles to Nigeria’s development.
He said effective leadership required the ability to understand national challenges, make appropriate decisions and implement them efficiently.
The SDP vice-presidential candidate cited Japan, South Korea and Singapore as examples of countries that had confronted severe challenges but subsequently achieved significant development through deliberate policies and leadership.
“We know exactly what they did to get there. We know what we need to do to get there. All we are waiting for is the opportunity, and you are the people who are going to provide the opportunity,” he said.
Bugaje urged the young professionals to organise themselves and participate actively in the political process, saying an organised citizenry could contribute to national transformation.
Gombe: Youth engagement rekindles hope
The National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, welcomed the delegation, saying the decision of young Nigerians to organise and engage political leaders offered evidence that hope remained for the country.
“My joy is that I believe your coming to this headquarters is to show that there is a lot of hope. And when there is hope, there is always a future,” Gombe said.
He acknowledged concerns over the perception that many young Nigerians had lost hope in the country, but said the engagement demonstrated the importance of young people becoming involved in determining the nation’s future.
Gombe urged the youths to translate their professional knowledge and experience into constructive political participation and sustain engagement on leadership and national development.
Young professionals raise concerns over hardship
Earlier, the interim chairman of the Young Progressive Professionals, Fortunatus Njoku, said rising living costs, unemployment and youth underdevelopment were placing severe pressure on Nigerian families.
Njoku said the economic situation was making it increasingly difficult for young Nigerians to plan their lives, pursue education, establish families and build sustainable livelihoods.
He said the delegation was at the SDP secretariat not only to identify with the party and its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, but also to engage the leadership on the realities confronting Nigerians.
“We have come to sympathise with you and to understand your feelings. Most of us do not have cash, and most of us are feeling the impact of what is happening in the country,” Njoku said.
He expressed concern that severe economic pressure could expose vulnerable citizens to corruption and other social problems, while also warning about the burden placed on families struggling to educate their children.
Njoku called for greater attention to the welfare of young Nigerians and families, saying political discussions should remain connected to the everyday experiences of citizens.
Obodo: Youth population is opportunity
The Youth Professional Publicity Secretary, Obodo Chrisantus, said Nigeria’s growing youth population represented a major opportunity, but expressed concern over unemployment and inadequate investment in developing young people’s potential.
Obodo said the consequences of underinvestment went beyond unemployment, noting that poor nutrition, inadequate education and limited opportunities could affect the productive capacity of future generations.
He said decisions being taken by young Nigerians and political leaders today could have consequences extending across generations.
“We are living at a time where it is like a tipping point, and whatever decision young people make today in Nigeria is going to have generational consequences on what becomes of future Nigeria,” he said.
Obodo said the group had followed Adebayo’s public engagements and was attracted to some of the ideas he had presented on national development.
The engagement, which also featured contributions from other members of the delegation, including Abba Jacob, focused on economic hardship, youth development, human capital, political participation, leadership and institutional reform.
The SDP leadership and the visiting young professionals agreed on the need for sustained engagement between political organisations and the younger generation as discussions on Nigeria’s political and economic future continue.
