President Bola Tinubu’s speech on the occasion of his 64th independence anniversary was highly anticipated, with high expectations for political and geopolitical reforms. Halfway through his four-year term, Nigeria is in dire need of electoral reform aimed at fully restoring the independence of the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Authority, INEC, by completely detaching it from political actors. Some also anticipated a move towards a new constitutional order, as advocated by the Patriots led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
However, the President only reaffirmed his determination to push forward his so-called Local Government Autonomy. He did, however, announce his intention to convene a thirty-day national youth conference, thereby providing the youth of the country with an opportunity to discuss their future.
Since the return of democracy in 1999, almost every government has convened a conference or made gestures in favour of the youth without really addressing national or youth issues. President Olusegun Obasanjo convened a Political Reform Conference in 2005/2006. Similarly, President Goodluck Jonathan convened a National Conference in 2014. Both were meant to help reshape our constitutional order but were thwarted. Indeed, Tinubu and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, boycotted Jonathan’s conference as they saw it as a means to rehabilitate his declining political image.
President Muhammadu Buhari chose to capitalize on the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill, NTYTR, which he enthusiastically signed into law in May 2018. The bill and the activities that followed helped to generate new awareness and activism, as seen during the #EndSARS protests in 2020, which culminated in the tragic Lekki tollgate shootings. The drive to massively register youth voters for the 2023 general elections also ended in failure on the highly controversial presidential election day of 25th February 2023.
One wonders what Tinubu hopes to accomplish with this convening of a youth conference. Is it, as some argue, just a way to distract from the dire economic conditions his policies have plunged Nigerians into? Is this to divide the ranks of the various youth coalitions preparing different forms of protests against the suffering in the country? Or is this a genuine measure for young people to meet and decide on the future of the country they will inherit from the current political and economic elite?
We urge young people to prepare and participate in this conference. Boycott is not an option. The conference should be so widely attended that no one can hijack it. Nigerian youths must learn to fight for their future without resorting to arms. Dialogue is always better than conflict.
Let us hope that this does not become just a meeting of rented groups.