A lawyer, United Nations Award Recipient, Political Commentator and a novelist, Habeeb Whyte has lamented that Nigerian youths have been made irrelevant in the process of nation-building, following the formulation of the non-inclusiveness of youths in governance.
Whyte made this known in an interview with newsmen at the preview of his book launching titled “The Burden of Irrelevancy”.
He said Nigerian youths have been made to be irrelevant in policy making, formation of good ideas, political and economic development of the country.
According to him, “The only thing that is making us be relevant in today’s politics is not too young to rule issue.
“It is just now that we are trying to come up with our own ideas and our leaders are not encouraging us, even if they are encouraging us, are they doing it for our own good, No.
“Look at those that are in power today, they have one affiliation or the other with their predecessor, it means that a common man or a Nigerian youth might not be given the opportunity to rule”.
Speaking about his book titled ‘The burden of irrelevancy’, Whyte said, the book is a personal account of events and happenings that shape the Nigerian youth constituency in the year 2011 to 2017.
“A lot of things have happened, a lot of things have gone wrong, a lot of things have gone well in one way or the other but we don’t have documentation for those things.
“I took the pain and passion for writing and advocacy on youth in governance, to write on past events in Nigeria.
“This book talks about the NAS issues, NASS issues, the molestation of Nigerian Youths, occupy Nigeria issue, the aborted Tu face rally, not too young to rule, the APC election, the social media mantra, the way Nigerian youths sent Jonathan away and every other events.
“The likes of Obasanjo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Yar’dua, Jonathan, Atiku and others, you will see their description of who they are, and what they are not.
“You will also see the personal experience of us meeting other youth bodies, you will see how youths have betrayed youths, how some persons under the umbrella of the group have betrayed Nigerians and its constituency.
“The book ends with an article I wrote in 2014 when I said, the dark times are over,” he said.
