I wrote a piece shortly after the EndSars protest that nearly brought the country to its knees. I told my fellow youths in that article not to relent in fighting for our rightful position because, after God, the next most powerful is government; hence, the need for the young generation to get involved in governance so that the needed change we clamour for can be easily effected.
As a young man who believes so much in youth inclusiveness in governance, perhaps because the path I choose for myself differs from that of my other siblings, I could remember when I was suspended as a student due to my activism and my elder brother called me to a meeting and said, “Who sent you this? Who among us is an activist? Bla bla bla… The rest, as they say, is now history.
Now, coming back to why I am writing this article, On Tuesday, June 6th, 2023, history was made in Osun: for the first time, a young man of 38 years of age was elected as speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly. This is unprecedented!
Under whose leadership did this come to fruition? The answer is not far-fetched; it came to pass under a dancing governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke. I don’t think any youth who resides in Osun can quickly forget this man of destiny who came to give Osun the leadership that has eluded us for a while.
By the character of some leaders, a 38-year-old dude should be a perpetual follower who will be sing-praising them and doing all sorts of hatched jobs for a crumb. But in the case of the people’s governor, he said Osun youths ‘must not carry last’.
As of today, 95% of Governor Adeleke’s aides are youths, between the ages of 18 and 40. What other things do you need to know that truly Mr. Governor loves youths and is working to make sure that they are included in the scheme of things as his government progresses?
The record breaker, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, has appealed to Osun youths to give necessary support to the administration of Governor Adeleke, who has been so magnanimous in carrying them along in his quest to make Osun great.
On this note, I call on Osun youths, irrespective of your political affiliation, to support this administration and, by extension, to stand by one of your own who is leading an arm of the government. Egbedun is a cool-headed, cultured, smart, and brilliant man.
I am sure supporting him as he represents young demographics in this government will not be too much if we truly want positive change in our dear state.
Oluwaseyi Adeniyi is a media aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
