Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says Nigeria youths are not copying the right model of leadership.
The former governor of Rivers state said this when he spoke at the Future Awards Africa that held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos over the weekend.
According to Amaechi, Nigerian youths have become so greedy particularly those that serve in the various Nigerian Universities student union governments.
“The problem with Nigerian youths is that they just want to take over from the elite but they are not ready to embrace change, they don’t want reform. They say that the roles being played by the elite are not satisfactory, but they must be ready to upset the leaders of this country through their ingenuity.
For example, during our days of activism, we engage government over unfavourable policies and we get headlong even during the military administration. Now, student union presidents want a vehicle and a driver to be driving him about to attend meetings; during our time, who dares have a car, we all struggle on the street’ he said.
Continuing, Amaechi said Nigerian youths should be involved in the fight against corruption
“During our time in the student union struggles, we rose against impunity and organised protests; but what happens today, the government of the day announces the money siphoned but the youth keep quiet.
Such astronomic stolen amount government announced wouldn’t have happened during our time, all the street would have been filled with youths protesting and seeing that the culprits were punished. Today, we have some of our youths dancing behind the corrupt politicians for a pot of meal that will not last long thereby mortgaging their future,’’ he said.
Speaking further, Amaechi appealed to the youths to engage their leaders by asking them questions
“Nigerian youths should start asking questions from leaders, including me about what we are doing with our resources. It’s time to reject those that put us in this. We should all desist from pulling our country down through corruption. But unfortunately, the youth are not interested in that, all what they want is how to look good.
Maybe they looked at me wearing designer shoes, what they will notice is that designer and how they can get it. That is not supposed to be. During my time as a student union leader, I had only two pairs of clothes. But now the value system is wrong and the youth are copying wrong leadership model,’’
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