Founder of Oyo State-based youth group (Ojo Ola Oyo), Mr Kehinde Olaosebikan has described social media-generated euphoria on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, as a flash in the pan that will disappear soon.
Olaosebikan made the assertion in Ibadan yesterday during a chat with journalists on the sideline of the extraordinary meeting of the group. He said such flashes were not new to the political, social and economic environments of Nigeria, stating that they usually disappeared as they came, “because they were never based on anything concrete but on mere fantasy, illusion and grandstanding.”
Olaosebikan who was asked by journalists on how his now popular projection that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be the next president of Nigeria considering the seeming popularity of Peter Obi, maintained that from his experience with the Nigerian youths they would rather act now based on realities and proven records of achievements having suffered so much in the hands of politicians who had promised them heaven on earth but eventually made life more hellish for them.
“This is not the first time we are witnessing such fleeting euphoria. We had seen pastor politicians who gained temporary traction because of declaration that God asked them to contest for president; in business, we had seen flashes in form of finance houses promising incredible interests; in real estate, we had seen flashes of mortgage firms making impossible offers during the time of ‘everybody come inside’; in medicine, we had witnessed passing euphoria too, where marketers promoted a drug for the cure of all ailments that eventually cured nothing; all hurtled because they were based on fantasies.
“From my experience with the youths today including those you are seeing here now, they can be said to be wiser now and more realistic. They are not ready to take promises. They want to see what you have done concretely in the past and assess you mainly on such accomplishments and feats.
“So, I can tell you they are ready and more inclined to voting for the candidate that is known to have ‘developed boys to men’ as the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio described the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the candidate that has developed and mentored both young and old Nigerians to become governors, ministers, vice presidents and president.
“A leader and candidate that has brought prosperity to his state by raising IGR from less than a billion Naira to 15bn within 8 years; a candidate that has brought marked growth and stability to the political and social being of his state, making Lagos the model for development in all aspects in Nigeria today. This is someone the youth can look up to, in whom they see hope and greater Nigeria ahead.
“For me, Nigerians, both youths and the old, we should be practical in the choice of our next president and consider capacity, competence, experience and antecedents and not any primordial sentiments or promises based on misapprehension,” he said.
He urged the youths to use the cyber space more positively for their businesses and towards the growth and unity of Nigeria as well as for the promotion of the person with the best track records of making life better for the masses of this country.
Earlier in his welcome address, the president of Ojo Ola Oyo, Mr Wale Adesope, pledged the total commitment of the group to the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosing that it would, embark on “house to house, cell to cell, media to media, platform to platform” campaign to fully mobilize the youths for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because, “ We are very sure that he will do well for the youths as the president of our dear country”, said Adesope.
