Nigeria has been described as the giant of Africa because of her large population put at 190 million people as of January 2018 based on the latest United Nations estimates.
The country is positioned strategically as a leader and major influencer on the continent. This giant is also a growing nation with a relatively young democracy spanning barely 19 years and a median age of 17.9years.
Over fifty percent of the population is under the age of 30 making it dynamic demographically and politically. However, in recent and previous elections less than thirty percent of the population votes and decides who governs the country.
The Nigerian youth posses immense power to change the political landscape but the youths seem to be unaware of this power and have showed themselves to be unapologetically apolitical, having literally no interest in voting and deciding who governs the country where they are in the majority.
For years, the fate of the governance of this country has been determined by an electorate comprising more of the older generation of Nigerians thus resulting in a great number of political office holders been elderly and out of touch with the realities of the 21st century Nigeria.
The country is currently saddled with growing unemployment as the population of its youth is disproportionate to the opportunities made available to them by series of failed government administration. It almost looks as though the government is trying to systematically suppress the youths politically by keeping them under educated unemployed and limiting their involvement in elections to the roles of thugs and mercenaries used to disrupt the electoral process.
Statistically its shown that political participation has dropped from 97% of elegible voters in the 1999 elections to 43.6% recorded in the 2015 elections. This is evident as the youths who account for about 50% of the electorate have failed to participate in elections.
Furthermore, this low level of voters turn out and electoral process participation really hampers the growth of the country's democracy as elections disciplines elected officials by threat of not being re-elected for non performance. This brings about accountability in the electoral process because political office holders tend to put in good performance when they foresee that they would not be re-elected.
It is my belief that as soon as the youths begin to galvanize themselves politically and partake even more in the electoral process, there will be a paradigm shift in the calibre of persons elected into public office. There will also be more discipline in government as the youths have the power of sanctioning elected officials to act in the best interest of the people they represent and effect policies that will better the lives of all nigerians
It is my hope that the youths participate more in electoral process as refraining from elections is a retrogressive action that must be discouraged.
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