A former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana on Thursday appealed to Nigerian youths not to throw the country into anarchy over their burning anger against the older generation.
Gana admitted that though they tried their best in the act of governance and nation-building, it was obvious their efforts were not good enough hence the need for the younger generation to chart their own path to correct some of the ills.
He made the appeal at the closing ceremony of the four-day International Conference of the African Biblical Leadership Initiative scheduled in Abuja.
The former minister expressed concerns that older people are always in perpetual fear that the youth may one day burn down the country if they are not properly guided.
According to him, the youth should also look inward to proffer solutions instead of dissipating their energy in abusing the government and older citizens on social media.
He also said the country has the Church to thank for its message of hope and tolerance which have been the only factors still holding the country together.
He said, “There is no doubt that we love the Nigerian youth. The only thing we are afraid of is that they may destroy the whole place in anger. No, they should find a new path for us to move forward. We, the older generation, have failed. But we tried our best. Most of us started in our younger days. I was in the Nigerian Senate in my youth. I wasn’t even up to 40 then. If you have followed what I have been doing since then, you will agree that I have tried.
“If not for religion and the level of tolerance in Nigeria, they would have burned down the whole place. The whole place would have been in disarray already. I am so glad that one of the guest speakers has emphasised the way forward for the youth.
“The real issue is not to use your energy in getting angry, abusing people, and destroying things. That is not the solution. The solution is to find the light, which is the solution to the problem and you will become the leader.
“Don’t abuse the government or spend time getting angry. We have done our best. The solution is to find the light. So instead of spending too much time on social media, you need to think, meditate and creatively come up with possible solutions to the nation’s challenge. We need a fundamental change of orientation because Ideas are powerful”.
