Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says Nigeria’s politics is changing unpredictably.
Gbajabiamila spoke on Thursday at the handover of the legislative mentorship initiative (LMI) to the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in Abuja.
The LMI is a youth leadership development programme founded by Gbajabiamila to train young professionals to drive excellence in public service.
Gbajabiamila said the dream of setting up LMI was nursed for a long time but finally came to light when it was launched in June 2022.
“In October 2022, on a day I will never forget, we welcomed the first cohort of participants in the initiative,” he said.
The speaker said since then, several people have graduated from the LMI and have made efforts to contribute their quota to the Nigerian project in various arenas.
“When we launched LMI, we did not immediately recognise that a new consciousness was awakening amongst our nation’s youth,” he said.
“We did not see that a new generation of young people had emerged who recognised the role of government in their lives and were determined to have a say in the politics of their communities and their nation.
“The first sign for us ought to have been the magnitude of applications we received to fill a small number of positions in the first training cohort.
“At the time, we were rightly and relentlessly focused on ensuring a successful take-off. We didn’t see that the politics of Nigeria is changing in ways we can’t predict and may not be entirely prepared for.
“We did not recognise the palpable resentment of young people who feel the system is not working for them. They think the decisions that define their lives are being made in rooms they don’t have access to and by people who don’t understand their reality.
“They are tired of this arrangement and are fully prepared to dismantle everything, including the very structure of the state.
“Managing these young people’s frustration is the defining task of this age. If we succeed, and we can channel their energy and drive, innovation and courage into pursuits that enrich our economy, improve our government, and accelerate our national development, we will have succeeded in setting our country on the fast track of progress, peace, and prosperity.
“If we fail, this abundance of vigour will become the fuel for a carnage this nation may not survive.”
Gbajabiamila said the LMI engages and empowers young people to participate in the politics and governance of the country and will be sustained.
