Despite Nigeria’s rising youth bulge, with the youth making up over 60% of the population, there seems to be a campaign by elderly politicians to brand the youth as incapable of leadership based on the immaturity and criminal conduct of some of the youth. What are your thoughts on this?

It’s a fact that we have a vast youth population. But the era when some elders campaigned using the youth to garner votes by promising to run an inclusive government is gone. I believe we are now at a point where they are trying to use the youth to get what they want and this is what we should be conscious of. Considering that 60% of Nigerian voters are youths, means that numerically we have great influence and great power to decide what happens. I don’t believe that the elders can actually side line and succeed in painting all youths with the same brush. Historically, in this country we produced Heads of State that were in their early and late 30s, General Gowon and Obasanjo, for example, and Ministers who were in their 20s and early 30s.

If youths today are showing immaturity and criminal tendencies, we have to ask why? The youth is the product of our society, and the ruling elite have to take responsibility for the way they have run our country aground in virtually every sector.

The National Student Union Body, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is currently in crisis. Are you a member of any of the factions and how can this impasse be resolved to achieve a united and strong student movement in Nigeria?

The disunity in NANS is a great challenge so I have distanced myself from any faction. It’s just as good as running a powerless system if there is factionalism and you claim to belong to one or other faction. I believe it is counter-productive and unhealthy. However, we are taking steps to resolve the situation to ensure that those claiming to be representative of Nigerian students are really Nigerian students. The reality is that some people who are leaders of Nigerian students and youth movements are old enough to be the grandparents of some of the students. We had a PhD student claiming to be the leader of NANS.

I am presently in discussions with other Students Union Presidents across Nigeria to establish a recognised undergraduate student association, a collective one, in which members and leaders can be identified by association and school. The current NANS leadership is not known to the average Nigerian student, nor even to the schools members are from. So we are working hard to address this, and one of the reasons I’m at this conference.

How can the quality of administration in tertiary institutions be improved in Nigeria to eliminate the incessant industrial action by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU)?

Everything revolves around the government, although I don’t believe in blaming the government for everything. But the government does have a key role to play in the development of education. For example, at my university, the lecturers are not owed salaries but there are other strategic needs that are not addressed. I once published an article where I addressed the issue of infrastructural crises at our tertiary institutions. The bulk of the ASUU strike in the last decade and half has been around proper funding of the university system in the country. If you look at the level of funding of our educational system, the combined federal and state budgets spent on education annually for the last 3 or 4 decades, has not met half of the UNESCO recommended 26% minimum annual budget for education. And yet this is the age where investment in education and knowledge is hugely important if the country is to catch up technologically and scientifically.

The Federal government perpetually reaches agreement with ASUU and other unions in the university sector but habitually breaks these agreements by failure to implement them. Therefore, government and the university administration across the country need to learn to respect agreements they reach with unions and fund the educational sector properly. The argument always is that we don’t have enough money to adequately fund education, health care and other critical sectors. However when one considers the level of corruption and squander by government, by disciplining the ruling elite and putting a stop to the massive looting that we see, there will be more than enough to fund education and other essential services to establish world class universities again in this country.

What are your thoughts on building synergy between young religious and young political leaders for a 21^st Century social contract?

Politics and religion wield powerful influence in our society. I witnessed this about five months ago when legislation was passed prescribing that leaders of any NGOs that were in positions for over 25 years should resign. A certain religious leader opposed the bill and the law was rescinded.

This demonstrates the power that religious/political leaders exert. There has to be some form of common ground between the young political/ religious leaders. If the young religious leaders see politics as an evil pursuit there will be a problem, and likewise, if the young political leaders feel they can financially influence religious leaders there will be a problem. So they should see themselves first as co-citizens in whatever space they occupy.

Secondly, there should be a level playing field where they both accept that everything they do has consequences whether politically or in a religious context.

I am currently the student union president of the University of Abuja and will only be acting in this capacity for the next eight months. If my leadership programs are well documented they could be built upon by any new successor. Sharing of information is very important and expensive. By sharing sound information, people will learn from their predecessors’ experience and it will ignite fires that youths can run with nationally to promote positive change and sustainable development.

There should be support by both political and religious leaders to ensure proper social contract is derived and government does what it was elected to do - provide security, good transport infrastructure, hospitals, schools and other basic human needs.

Recently CNN exposed the slave market in Libya where fellow Africans, who fled their countries in search of a better life elsewhere, are being sold as slaves in that country. What is your recommendation to the Nigerian government on this development?

The situation in Libya is indeed deplorable. My recommendation is not only to the Nigerian government but to all African Union leaders to wake up and defend the human rights of Africans. It is sad that rather than embark on a proactive and unified strategy, some governments such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Somalia, etc., secured the release of their compatriots but ignored the plight of other fellow Africans stranded in Libyan detention camps to suffer in bondage.

Addressing the situation in Libya should be a collective effort. African governments, under the umbrella of African Union, should take decisive action. What is the purpose of the AU if African leaders can’t speak and act as one?

In the same manner that the world condemns terrorist attacks in France, USA and other countries, action is expected now that this evil is happening on our continent. They must condemn slavery in all forms and send troops, if necessary, to assess the situation, free the victims held captive and identify and recommend criminals be prosecuted in the international criminal court.

Proactive measures like this will send a strong signal to the world that Africa understands itself and knows what to do in crisis situations.

Angela Odah

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