Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, advised young people on Saturday to keep optimism alive and concentrate on the chances the nation offers.
He he spoke during a lecture themed: “Youths and The Sustenance of Democracy: Issues and The Challenges” to mark the 64th birthday of a renowned activist, lawyer and journalist, Richard Akinnola held in Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu added that Nigerians should work together to strengthen and advance their nation’s democracy as he urged young people in Nigeria to actively participate in it for a better future.
While conceding that there are many political, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious challenges in the nation, Governor Sanwo-Olu remarked that the true measure of leadership is the capacity to rise above these difficulties.
He said, “Our responsibility as a government and as leaders is to reduce the tendency of poverty.
“Education is one, and acquiring information and skills is another. You have a free mind, heart, and soul to desire and create things for yourself once you are able to free yourself from the chains of poverty.
“There is a huge opportunity in this country. I want to urge all of you as builders of the nation and leaders of tomorrow; don’t lose hope. People that lose hope are people that are doomed. You cannot lose hope. Every day you wake up is hope for you and that hope should be the thing that should drive you. That hope should be the thing that should propel you.
“You cannot give up because giving up is not an option. In the political, economic and social inclusion space, you cannot give up. Giving up is giving out and that is not the spirit and energy of the youth. The future is here, you are the future. Take hold of it because you need to be in the room to take over. It is important for the youths to participate in the democratic process.
The Governor also exhorted the students to utilize social media wisely, use it as a tool for their own emancipation, and make sure they do so in a way that will help them become better people in the future.
Governor Sanwo-Olu encouraged the youths who had attended the lecture in large numbers to take advantage of the many opportunities created by his government and assured them that his administration would continue to use technology to provide good governance by outlining the various ways in which his administration had involved the youths, spanning different sectors and based on the THEMES development agenda for Greater Lagos.
The topic of the speech was determined by the youths’ participation in the general elections of 2023, according to the celebrant, Richard Akinnola, who spoke previously.
According to Akinnola, Sanwo-Olu’s humility, willingness and readiness to engage the youths, despite all odds, necessitated his choice as the ‘Guest Lecturer’ on ‘Youths and the sustenance of democracy: Issues and the challenges.’
He applauded Sanwo-Olu’s simplicity saying, “Two years ago at the early stage of the EndSARS protest, I watched him (Sanwo-Olu) as he braved all odds to address the protesting youths with such calmness and level headedness even while some of the protesters were heckling him with insulting pejoratives. With such conduct, he won the hearts of many people.”