In this interview, Patrick Osagie Eholor, the President of One Love Foundation, talks about the role that youths are expected to play in moving the nation forward.
Excerpts:
The International Youth Day (IYD) has been celebrated across the globe including Nigeria. What is the day to you?
The day is a day of sober reflection,it’s a day the word betrayed shows on my face,it’s a day that it dawned on me on how the so called political elites that has robbed the youth so blindly.
What do you think is the missing link in youth development in Nigeria?
The missing link is that the politicians hasn’t shown any manner of patriotism to this our beloved country, so the youths now also believe in getting rich quick without showing any sense of patriotism to this country.
What is your vision and aspiration for young people in Nigeria?
Young people in Nigeria are very smart and blessed. When they leave this country they excel in every ramifications, we don’t suffer natural disasters like earthquake, but one thing is for sure we’ve always had leadership disaster.
What advice do you have for young people in Nigeria?
My advice is that a better Nigeria is possible. They should get involved in politics. Both the men and women otherwise if they let these old brainless men, educated illiterates and thugs to govern them.
Nigerian youth over the years has been relegated to the back-burner in the scheme of things, and are only used and abandoned or dumped, what can One Love Foundation do to assist young people stop the trend?
One Love Foundation will help in the area of public awareness to reassure them that Nigeria belongs to us all, and they should stop making themselves available for election malpractice and also reassure them that what isn’t worth living for isn’t worth dying for.
Over the years young people in Nigeria have been the tool politicians use to achieve their selfish ambitions at the federal, state and local government levels. What is One Love Foundation currently doing to ensure young people are not gullible to these politicians before, during and after the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State?
In regards to this question I have answered it severally. I have advised the youths to go out there and vote for a candidate that they believe in his agenda and manifestoes. And also discourage them not to take the part of violence and election rigging because this election war they didn’t start it and they won’t end it….if there’s any reason to cause any civil disturbance the politicians’ children should be at the forefront because they are the beneficiaries.
You have been on the vanguard to ensure Nigerians live a better life with the abundant resources God has blessed this country with. What is your message to parents, political and public office holders, traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, academic leaders in giving a better future to young Nigerians?
My advice to them is to support my campaign for capital punishment, public execution for those who steal our common patrimony whether it’s the police, military or even civil servants so they can take a clue from the Chinese Government that’s exploiting the whole world today. Because, if not for the capital punishment the Chinese Government chose the whole world would have been in crisis
