Pastor Tunde Bakare drawing on history said youths, once entrusted with power, were responsible for the present state of Nigeria.
Bakare, who is the General Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, CGCC, said youths, between their 20s and 30s, once trusted with power messed up the system in Nigeria.
He spoke at the maiden edition of The Conversation Africa Series organised by the Legacy Youth Fellowship in Lagos on Saturday.
“Young Nigerians are asking why a country so rich wears the inglorious badge of the poverty capital of the world. Consequently, we have seen determined young Nigerians fired up and ready to take their country back from the so-called gerontocrats.
“Our current youths need to be reminded that on May 24, 1966, a 31-year-old Head of State destroyed the foundation of federalism and made Nigeria a unitary system and also in mid-1970’s some young and zealous army generals in their 30’s overthrew the government in their bid to sanitize the system but ended up destroying it among other incidents.
“Young Nigerian patriots, you can see from this brief recourse to history that Nigeria was brought to its current state, not necessarily by gerontocrats, but by mostly young Nigerians, some of whom had been actively involved in governance from their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and some of whom are relevant even now. It is why I say that youth, in a sense, brought us here”.
The cleric charged the present crop of Nigerian youths to be determined and focused in ensuring that the dream of Nigeria’s founding fathers becomes a reality.
