Chieftain of the All Progressives (APC) Hon Bimbo Daramola (alias congressman) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s deliberate policy of mainstreaming youths in leadership recruiting process.
The former member of the National Assembly described the President’s action as a product of genuine love, long standing footprints of commitment of inclusion and reputation of hand-holding mentorship.
Daramola,also a strong promoter of youth agenda in Nigeria and black continent had mentored a number of youths in and out of office, through his non-violent advocacy .
The ex parliamentarian’s love for young people is woven into his brand .He is the convener of the famous OneUnitedAfrica and Nigeria Skits Industry Awards and Festivals.
According to him ” Tinubu believes that there must be a deliberate recognition of this segment of younger people in the society, a catchment that is very adventurous, bubbling with energy and intelligence, all of which must be harnessed and tapped into for the wholistic development of the society.
“Before then, the idea of “one day Governor” was alien to Nigerians, infact not a few people thought that it besmirks watering down the exalted office of the Governor of a state like Lagos.
“Well, the introduction of that seemingly innocuous, seemingly non tangible idea in Lagos State had remarkably impacted the lives of several erstwhile,relatively unknown young boys and girls who emerged from the rigorous selection process to become the one day Governors of Lagos State.
“Today we have a number of these young ones whose trajectories in life has been altered positively by that initiative. One of whom is Dayo Israel, indeed I think, the very “first one day” Governor of Lagos State. “
Read full text :
FROM DAYO ISRAEL TO Ms. ORIRE AGBAJE:-
OVER TWO DECADES PROOF OF ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU’S LONG STANDING FOOTPRINTS OF COMMITMENT TO YOUTH INCLUSION AND THE REPUTATION OF HAND-HOLDING MENTORSHIP OF YOUNG NIGERIANS.
I have known and related with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR not for too long, just for a little over two decades, dates back to 1998, from the days of Sunday Adigun Street, Alausa, Ikeja.
Not too long a time, but long enough to be able to recall some of his personality attributes that have remained consistent with him from the day that I first met him through my friend the astute late sports journalist Deji Tinubu. [May God continue to rest his soul ]
Asiwaju has this thing for young people !
He wants them around, believes they have unbriddled energy that must be properly channelled and guided. I have this from personal experiences that I will not refer to here because this write up is about the recent validations.
He likes to listen to them, recall the number of young people who bombarded his personal mobile phone lines during the unfortunate #endSARS situation most of them very abusive, yet he picked a lot of those calls, even after the caustic and vitriolic words have been used by previous young callers.
He is always disposed to youth inclusion as a critical element for building of a society that works, this youth accomondating nature is one of the justifications for his renowned head hunting reputation.
When he introduced the “one-day Governor “idea during his tenure as the Governor of Lagos State, it was more than a PR prep or spark, rather it was a non- verbal expression and mesage to the young people.
This was a deliberate and conscious signal to say that I recognise that within the society’s broad spectrum, there are catchments, one of which is the youth catchment, and that building of a society that works is not just about the old or the exclusive preserve of the ones in the elders bracket.
He believes that there must be a deliberate recognition of this segment of younger people in the society, a catchment that is very adventurous, bubbling with energy and intelligence, all of which must be harnessed and tapped into for the wholistic development of the society.
Before then, the idea of “one day Governor” was alien to Nigerians, infact not a few people thought that it besmirks watering down the exalted office of the Governor of a state like Lagos.
Well, the introduction of that seemingly innocuous, seemingly non tangible idea in Lagos State had remarkably impacted the lives of several erstwhile,relatively unknown young boys and girls who emerged from the rigorous selection process to become the one day Governors of Lagos State.
Today we have a number of these young ones whose trajectories in life has been altered positively by that initiative. One of whom is Dayo Israel, indeed I think, the very “first one day” Governor of Lagos State.
This seemingly little idea must have contributed significantly to who Dayo Israel has become today, the self discovery that comes with such idea must have kept that hitherto little boy steadily focussed, helped to keep him on track, opening him up to a life of great ambition which has seen him acquire good education and has today grown into a productive adult, to become the National Youth leader of the All Progressives Congress, before this position, Dayo had become a strong voice on development issues in Nigeria.
Dayo Israel is a product of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s conscious introduction, investment, recognition and integration of the young people in governance.
Now as President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, he has remained consistent with this proclivity for the exposure of young people and his youth inclusion in government disposition as attested to and validated by two recent instances.
First, would be the number of relatively young people who made the ministerial nominations from Dr. Betta Edu to Mr. Bosun Olatunji, both of them relatively of young ages compared to what we used to have in the Federal Executive Council.
I am not too sure any administration had done that in our recent history, except very few prominent ones like Mr Bawa, the Chairman of EFCC , I cannot recall too many young people in the last administration, certainly not as Honourable Ministers.
The second which gets the cookie for me, and the icing on the cake is the inclusion of Miss Orire Agbaje , the young 400 level University of Ibadan student in the newly inaugurated Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy headed by Mr Oyedele.
To those who are not deep enough, the inclusion of Ms. Agbaje in such a high powered committee can not for optics.
It is a powerful non verbal communication to assure the youth population that President Bola Tinubu’s administration recognises that they exist, and not just in existence, but are deemed valuable enough for one of them still in the University to be so considered to be included in such a defining and all important committee.
This is to also convey comfort to the youth population, who are being told to be our new entrepreneurs and proprietors of small to medium scale enterprises, that have a voice, they can be heard, and they too have someone who can speak for them at that high level of government.
Of course from the body language and manner the President spoke, this committee holds the anchor to the realisation of the renewed hope mandate, so its reassuring and very introspective to have a youth voice on the committee.
The presence of Ms Agabaje there, makes it easier to pitch and market the crusade for more young people to believe and accept to get into the tax net, it helps to further douse trust issues that exists between the young people and government.
With a young person there on the committee communicating the need to pay taxes to young people in business will be easier, because it is assumed that she is the ambassador of the youth population in the committee and will represent them well in the first place and should be able to escalate their fears and concerns .
Lastly I do not know how Ms Orire Agbaje was selected, but it does not appear like she is the daughter of a political personality, so that means there is a mearsure of recognition and appreciation of hardwork and intelligence, there is nothing to suggest that the President picked her because of her connections or contact to a big man!!! a Senator or Governor’s daughter. She most likely emerged on merit. Methinks
This also is a good communication to a society that’s been taken over by the narrative, indeed its not just a narrative but a reality , that the son or daughter of a nobody can not get anything unless he or she knows somebody.
The inclusion of Ms Orire Agbaje signpists a paradigm shift. A new day.. I hope.
This nature of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, from the aggregate of these illustrations is a demonstration of commitment to practical mentorship of young people and a veritable attempt to raise more responsible young people into whose hands the future can be committed, these recognitions and inclusion is a model for tangible development and empowerment.
Encouraging and empowering young people is essential not only for their personal growth but ultimately the betterment of society.
When inclusion and recognition of young people is entrenched as an essential element and feature within the realm of governance, adults can then provide the necessary support and guidance to help young individuals develop into responsible adults, it is only when this is done that we can truly harness, harvest and unleash the youth-driven energy, perspectives and potentials for national development in an increasingly fast changing world with new realities of opportunities and threats by the day.
The President has effectively communicated that with these recent steps we need all hands on deck.
Besides offering the opportunity to inject fresh insights, youth inclusion justifies the demand for broad spectrum representation and participation.
It defeats in a jocular sense the sobriquet of of Washington in the United States; TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!
President Bola Tinubu’s inclusion of Miss Agbaje is also inspirational, as this then speaks to the fact that the MUCH SOUGHT DESIRE AND URGE FOR FAME [i. e TO BLOW ] by young people can also come from OR ACHIEVED through their demonstrated moral rectitude, a life of modesty and moderation, diligence, integrity, intelligence, creativity, intellectual worth, being studious and not just from nudity, odious and odoriferous actions on social media like twerking of butts [ Sedibalabala] or obscene flaunting of mounds of flesh, open glare cavorting under bedsheets[ Sungbalaja, Sungba, Sungba] or “shower hour “on Big Brother show.
The inclusion of young people in boards or committees such as this will help in character building, open them up to cross fertilisation of ideas , ensure that the youth voices are heard, promotes and deepen perspectives, create platforms for inter- generational dialogue, where young individuals can engage with adult decision-makers.
This allows for the exchange of ideas, fostering mutual understanding and an appreciation of diverse perspectives and ideas
This youth inclusion also further validates their efforts and motivates them to continue making positive contributions and provide opportunities for young individuals to showcase their talents and skills, highlight their abilities and encourage further growth and development.
Asiwaju is widely acknowledged for his rooted belief in relationships, that dates back in time, well it will be necessary to add that such relationship are both inter-generational and intra- generational.
Anyone who watched the video of the innauguration of this Presidential Committee would note that at the end of his speech, President Tinubu, specially acknowledged Miss Agbaje and reffered to her as “our daughter “, that way offering reassurances and comfort, opening further bonding opportunities and prospects to Miss Agbaje, i dare say the youth population. Good communication.
The President also as seen in the video footage after the handshake with Ms Orire Agbaje, whispered something to the Aide de Camp,[ADC] who immediately opened his clutch bag, brought out a yellow stick up paper, wrote something on it , most likely his mobile number and handed it over to Miss Agabaje, the President gesticulating that let her reach me. It was evident in the footage.
This is vintage Asiwaju Bola Tinubu GCFR, reassuring the young girl. This further affirms sincerity on the part of the President.
This gesture meant the little girl now has the advantage of ring side access to the President, and this access will facilitate meaningful nexus between the young girl and the President,not leaving out other experienced adults in the committee who will act as mentors.
The President emphasised in a statement to the young girl after the recognition, ” I will not disappoint you”, this was not a statement for Miss Agbaje alone but a message through her to the entire Nigerian youth population, that is one of the advantages of youth inclusion, that today has become an Asiwaju trade mark, this is how to encourage mutual respect, trust, and open communication to foster an all inclusive environment for everyone to contribute.
Conclusion:
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed the President, has by this event and actions showed a consistent commitment to the encouragement of young people through inclusion in Governance, their recognition, and mentorship through deliberate efforts to avail them opportunities to serve.
This remains a powerful catalyst not only for their personal growth but the development of a responsible society.
By valuing their perspectives, recognizing their capacities, and providing guidance, adults can empower young individuals to become active contributors to their communities and ultimately the nation.
Without doubts , Together, we can create a supportive environment that nurtures the potentials of young people and ensures a brighter future for all.
This is the vintage Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s standard recipe and condiments for intra- generational and inter- generational relevance and critical involvement in building a country that will work for all.
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Youth Centric Adult and Young People’s Advocate.
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