Oyo STate
‘My Father Is A Nobody, Yet I Broke A Spell In Oyo Politics’
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State announced that he has successfully dismantled the influence of the ‘who is your father’ mentality in the state’s political arena.
Makinde made this declaration during the Students’ Legislative Summit, which was organized by Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly and chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Students’ Representative Council at the University of Ibadan.
According to the governor, there was a time when the ‘who is your father’ statement dominated the state’s political landscape, but he managed to overcome that obstacle.
Makinde, who said that his biological father was a ‘nobody’ in Oyo State, acknowledged that the people of the state still allowed him to lead them.
The governor stressed the need for Nigerian youths to become more actively involved in governance by increasing their participation.
He said the issue of leadership is imperative in preparing the youth for the future and governance.
“For us here, we have seen the common situation where ‘who is your father’ was the order of the day but we have been able to break that in Oyo State. My father was a ‘nobody’ and the Oyo State people still gave me the opportunity to lead.
“We may not be able to prepare the future for the youth, but we can prepare the youth for the future. Please, don’t see this event as just an opportunity to look at the issue of leadership in this country. And, in me, Seyi Makinde, the youth have an ally and we will prepare the leaders of the next generation amongst the youth.
“I am here this afternoon to encourage the youth. If you look at the history of Nigeria, we had our independence in 1960 and six years after, in 1966, the person that became the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, was 31 years and some months old. After him, during the Second Republic, former President Obasanjo retired as a General at the age of 39.
“You should dream big; people have ruled this country at very tender ages. So, for you, don’t think that at 29 or 30, you are too young to rule, and I am glad because this is almost like catching them early.
“You have the students here and in about three years, some of you will be out there to move on. If I were you, I wouldn’t start looking for work; I would start doing my own thing at a very early age of 24 or 25. With the kind of energy you still have, you can pull down the kingdom of Satan,” Makinde said.
Naija News understands that some of the dignitaries at the event included the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who was represented, and the Speakers of Osun and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly.
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