People & Money

#ENDSARS, Young Nigerians & 2023: ‘Kunle Adebajo, Journalist

‘Kunle Adebajo is the Head of the Investigations Desk at HumAngle, a investigative journalism platform. He also edits for Punocracy, a satire blog, and Agbowó, a literary platform for African creatives. He was a 2019 Africa Check Fellow, is a 2020 Dubawa Fact-Checking Fellow, and finalist for the 2020 Isu Elihle Journalism Awards.

 

I am not a fan of the establishment of new, supposedly youth-centred political parties. There’s a lot more we can do, both in making political office holders accountable and in independently bringing about solutions to certain problems ourselves”. 

How old are you?

I am 24.

Have you ever voted? 

No. I was unable to get my PVC during the last elections.

Do you think #EndSARS campaign has awoken the youth to their political power? 

Certainly not everybody, but I hope just enough to make things happen. I just read that a recall process for Mojisola Macaulay, the Lagos lawmaker, has been set in motion by her constituents following her silly remarks. I have always looked forward to a day when we will successfully make a scapegoat out of a legislator using this mechanism. I hope that day is almost here. And I hope it will have a ripple effect. Beyond the short-term activism, we also need long-term political consciousness and a collective belief in our ability to cause change.

Also Read: #EndSARS Could Make Nigeria Formidable Economic Power, British Lawmaker

How do you think this power will be used as we approach the 2023 elections? 

I am not a fan of the establishment of new, supposedly youth-centred political parties. There’s a lot more we can do, both in making political office holders accountable and in independently bringing about solutions to certain problems ourselves. The youth demographic has a lot going for it: the ability to s̀r̀ sókè and be heard in corners of power across the world, its population, its creativity and skills, and its resources (nested both home and abroad). I think we will see more of these being put to use and see more youth rallying to support each other’s socio-political initiatives. But it won’t be easy.

What kind of candidates are you expecting for the presidency? 

The same old. We recently read that a group filed a suit to compel Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to contest for presidency in 2023. Weeks ago, supporters of Bola Tinubu also pulled a similar stunt, though not as extreme, to prepare the minds of Nigerians. We should not kid ourselves to think the electoral stage in 2023 will embrace new actors at the federal level.

Will you vote for a PDP or an APC candidate? 

The party is irrelevant. Parties don’t make good leaders in Nigeria. A majority party can field a quality candidate and a minority party can have a thug or clueless person representing it. The best we can hope to have are considerably good and intelligent people. It hardly matters what platform they’re standing on.

Also Read: EndSARS Impacted Nigeria’s Economic Recovery Path, says Rewane’s FDC

Can you donate money to a political movement or party? 

Yes. If it will make any difference and I believe in the movement’s mission and machineries. Otherwise, I’m still looking for cash donations myself.

Buhari promised N1 for $1, what key economic policy would you expect from the candidate or party in 2023?

Massive industrialisation. We can’t be talking about 21st century features such as electric cars and artificial intelligence when we have not even passed the compulsory courses of the 19th and 20th centuries. Nigeria needs long term development plans and such levels of sincerity in governance that are compatible with the execution. Closing the borders and discouraging imports are not helpful. We rather need to make our industries and products competitive. You don’t even have to supply 24/7 electricity to the whole of Nigeria or repair all the roads. Just be strategic with it. Have manufacturing and entrepreneurial villages where resources are available. Have preservation stores at strategic locations and help farmers get their products to the final market and factories. Get out of the way of people trying to make waves in the private sector. Aggressively decentralise the mining sector. And encourage more practical learning in schools.

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