President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday asked African youths to dislodge the older generation from leadership positions and take over.
The former president enjoined the youths to participate actively in the activities of political parties with a view to taking over the structure from them.
He said while delivering a keynote address at an interactive session held virtually to mark this year’s International Youth Day that unless old people are forced out of the political stage, they will continue to occupy the leadership positions to the detriment of the youths.
The programme was organised by the Youth Development Centre, an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Punch reports.
Participants were drawn from Nigeria, Mali, USA, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Obasanjo said “Unless you squeeze out those who are in office and those who want to remain in office perpetually, some after the age of 80, unless you squeeze them out, they will not want to be out.
“The type of change I am talking about, that I believe we can all embark upon is to subscribe to the constitution of political parties in favour of youths. Or if you like it you call it affirmative action in favour of youths. For instance, if you say, in the constitution of a political party, not less than 50 per cent of those who hold executive office within the party will be less than 40 years.
“You can even go beyond that and say that people who will be put up for election, not less than 50 per cent of them will be less than 40 years of age. That’s affirmative action. That’s positive discrimination in favour of youths.
