…vows to join allies to prepare youths for leaders
By Adeyinka Adeniran
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde on Wednesday said he will not support anyone willing to succeed him that is older than 52years of age.
Makinde who said he feels too old serving as a Governor at 56years maintained that he would be looking forward to more youthful candidates to man the leadership of the state after his tenure expires in 2027.
The governor spoke in a remark at the Students’ Legislative Summit organised by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt. Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, in conjunction with the Students’ Representative Council, University of Ibadan.
At the event themed “Roles of quality legislation in nation building”, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, which had in attendance the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who was represented by Dr Timothy Golu, Speakers of Osun and Ekiti states’ Houses of Assembly, Makinde said the issue of leadership is imperative in preparing the youth for the future and governance.
He said “I feel so old already. I came to this job at 51 and people thought that at 51, I was too young. And as a matter of fact, I was the youngest at 51 to have ever gotten into the seat of civilian governor of Oyo State.
“I already made a promise, I said it on radio last December that when I am leaving in 2027, God sparing my life, I will not support anybody that is above 50-52years.”
He said he will be wiling to join others as a worthy ally to prepare Nigerian youths for the future assuring the youths that in him they have an ally.
Makinde said, “We may not be able to prepare the future for the youth, but we can prepare the youth for the future. Please, see this event as an opportunity to look at the issue of leadership in this country. And, in me, Seyi Makinde, the youth have an ally and we will prepare the leaders of the next generation amongst the youth.
“I am here this afternoon to encourage the youth. If you look at the history of Nigeria, we had our independence in 1960 and six years after, in 1966, the person that became the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, was 31 years and some months old. After him, during the Second Republic, former President Obasanjo retired as a General at the age of 39.
“You should dream big; people have ruled this country at very tender ages. So, for you, don’t think that at 29 or 30, you are too young to rule and I am glad, because this is almost like catching them early.
“You have the students here and in about three years, some of you will be out there to move on. If I were you, I wouldn’t start looking for work; I would start doing my own thing at a very early age of 24 or 25. With the kind of energy you still have, you can pull down the kingdom of Satan.
“For the Speaker himself, the opportunity came in 2018 to replace a former Speaker from his Constituency. He became a member of the House of Assembly.
“Before the 2019 election, I told him that from the data available to us, Oyo State people would give us the opportunity, because they wanted to try something totally different. That we were coming from a background of no-godfather and the people wanted a change. I told him that was their mood and he agreed.
“I predicted that he would win and when the election came, it turned out to be what we predicted and he became the Speaker of the House. I can see that Osun State is following in our footsteps. You see, our people just want us to deliver.
“So, I am glad that with Debo’s trajectory and with this summit, we are moving towards the trajectory where young leaders are now thinking in terms of bridging the leadership vacuum in our country.”
The governor commended Ogundoyin for bringing leaders together to rub minds with youths to stimulate and produce the next set of leaders, noting that as an individual, he would always support the youth to get into leadership as he did with the Oyo State House of Assembly.
“So, I am eagerly looking out for the outcome of the Summit and supporting the entrenchment of this initiative so that Nigeria can be better in terms of leadership. If you go to advanced countries, they have a culture of how leaders evolve.
“For us here, we have seen the common situation where ‘who is your father’ was the order of the day but we have been able to break that in Oyo State. My father was a ‘nobody’ and the Oyo State people still gave me the opportunity to lead.”
The governor also used the opportunity to reassure Oyo State students of his administration’s commitment to their welfare, stating that he had signed all the documents for the payment of bursary awards to them and the disbursement would take place in due course.
Speaking earlier, the convener of the programme, Rt. Hon. Ogundoyin said his focus is to support youth development through education, provision of learning opportunities, mentorship, guidance and a strong belonging with community involvement, noting that this is essential for present and future national development.
Speaking on the theme of the Summit, he explained that the objectives are to educate students about the legislative process and its significance in shaping national development and to encourage them to critically analyse the impact of existing legislations on various aspects of the society, such as education, healthcare, and the economy.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Youths, Olawande charged Nigerian youths to maximise the opportunity they have and engage actively in governance with a view to changing the narratives.
In his keynote address, the President of the Senate, 8th National Assembly, Senator Bukola Saraki, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Strategic Communication to the Plateau State Governor, Dr Golu Timothy, emphasised the roles of quality legislation in nation-building.
