Ibrahim Babangida, former military president, says older Nigerians must give way for the young ones to take over.
He said the youth, with their passion and zeal, can propel the country on the path of development.
Babangida, the eighth head of state, was in office between 1985 and 1993.
“The older generation must give way for the new one,” he said when a political movement, the New Nigeria, visited him at his residence in Minna, Niger state, on Sunday.
“We have become analogue but this is a digital age; so the young people should be supported to use their digital knowledge to move the country forward.”
He said by being adventurous and bringing fresh ideas to the table, young people across the world have steered their countries to greater heights.
He said leaders like Yakubu Gowon, who ruled Nigeria from 1966 to 1975, at the age of 31, left positive strides behind.
Babangida has at various times advocated for a generational shift in the nation’s leadership.
In a recent letter he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, he asked him not to seek re-election in 2019, but to rather step down and allow the young ones take over.
He had said: “We need to deliberately provoke systems and models that will put paid to this recycling leadership experimentation to embrace new generational leadership evolution with the essential attributes of responsive, responsible and proactive leadership configuration to confront the several challenges that we presently face.” (The Cable)
