Obasanjo tasks African youths to send older generation out of power

A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has asked African youths to dislodge older generation from leadership positions.

Obasanjo said this on Wednesday while delivering a keynote address at an interactive session held virtually to mark this year’s International Youth Day.

The programme was organised by the Youth Development Centre, an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Obasanjo charged the youths to participate actively in the activities of political parties with a view to taking over the structure from them.

He said that unless old people are forced out of the political stage, they will continue to occupy the leadership positions to the detriment of the youths.

Obasanjo said “Unless you squeeze out those who are in office and those who want to remain in office perpetually, some after the age of 80, unless you squeeze them out, they will not want to be out.

“The type of change I am talking about, that I believe we can all embark upon is to subscribe to the constitution of political parties in favour of youths. Or if you like it you call it affirmative action in favour of youths. For instance, if you say, in the constitution of a political party, not less than 50 per cent of those who hold executive office within the party will be less than 40 years.

“You can  even go  beyond that and say that people who will be put up for election, not less than 50 per cent of them will be less than 40 years of age. That’s affirmative action. That’s positive discrimination in favour of youths.”

Participants were drawn from Nigeria, Mali, USA, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.