Osinbajo encourages young people to get involved in politics in order to make a difference

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has urged young people to enter politics in order to make a difference in Nigeria.

The Vice President made the remarks during a virtual forum with Nigerian Fellows of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in Abuja on Wednesday.

‘Osinbajo woos young Nigerians, ‘our best minds’: join politics to make a difference,’ said Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement.

His words came on the same day that Nigerian youths took to the streets to commemorate the #EndSARS protest from last October.

“Youths need to go the extra mile if you are not already involved, get involved in politics—while civil society can achieve a lot, government still holds the ace in terms of capacity and resources to bring social goods to the greatest number of people,” the VP was quoted as saying. “Besides, being decision-makers rather than pressure groups at the table in policy formulation are vastly different positions.” Our great ideas to transform our societies will ultimately be carried out by ‘those politicians,’ as we mockingly refer to them.”

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“African nations, particularly our country, cannot afford to have its best minds and most committed social activists remain only in the civil space,” the VP continued. We simply cannot afford it; instead, you must become involved in politics. You must be able to make the required difference on the scale.”

“Of course, many people will not get involved in politics, but those who do should, and there will be many challenges, even in winning or being heard in politics.” But I want to tell you that getting involved in politics at whatever level you can so that you can make the difference on the scale that is required should be a goal you set for yourself,” Osinbajo added.

“It took public office for me to be able to get the scale of change that is required to make a difference,” the VP said, recalling his days in civil society and later in politics as Lagos State Attorney-General.

“Without public office, I would have remained a pressure group activist, doing some nice things, but not being able to make the changes that my country required.”