By Adewole Kehinde
I have been reading different reactions to those agitating that Seyi Tinubu should “midwife the selection of a youthful Minister of Youth on social media for the past 8 hours.
I came across a letter by the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth wing titled “The Clarion Call for a Purposeful Minister of Youth That Is Fit for the Job,” dated August 21, 2023. They initially commended President Tinubu for being youth-friendly in the discharge of his responsibilities as President of the country, particularly his youth-friendly policies so far.
However, the bone of contention in the letter is the plea from the party that Seyi Tinubu be made to officially oversee the affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
In the letter, which had the signatures of Mohammed U. Mohammed, the Kogi State Youth Leader, and a few others, they justified their request based on the ruggedness and hardworking abilities of Seyi Tinubu.
It read in part, “Your Excellency, sir, it will interest you to know that your excellency, Seyi Tinubu, has consistently, and against all odds, painstakingly strengthened the youth wing of the party, especially at a time when the youthful vigour was needed to drive the campaigns.”
It is one of the most embarrassing letters I have ever come across in the past few years. Are those who signed that letter without any conscience at all? I am sure Seyi Tinubu would have called them to order by now because we are not running a monarchical government in Nigeria.
Seyi Tinubu might have gone around the 774 local governments in Nigeria during the campaign, but does that qualify him as a minister? My answer is no.
I would have preferred that Dayo Israel be made the Minister of Youth Development due to his wealth of experience and connection to the grassroots.
Dayo Israel has demonstrated capability, particularly as the party’s national youth leader; his success and enormous achievements cannot be overstated.
His passion for Nigerian youth is further demonstrated by his commitment and contributions during his party’s presidential campaigns. I feel his selection would be extremely beneficial to Nigerian youths and the country as a whole.
For the record, Dayo was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (under 40) as part of the 2017 celebration of the UN Decade for People of African Descent at the One UN Plaza in New York.
He is a member of the British Council Global Change Makers Network, Connecting Futures Program, and a Fellow of the US State Department International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), which has produced over 400 heads of government globally.
A Henley Business School Young Leader, Dayo has twice been recognized in 2016 and 2017 as one of the UK’s 50 brightest young leaders.
He was also recognized as one of the top 25 promising Nigerian youths under 35 to serve Nigeria in 2016 and as one of Africa’s top 30 most inspirational young people in 2013.
He has served the government of Lagos State as an Executive Permanent Board Member of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, overseeing quality assurance for all public primary schools in Lagos State. Prior to that, he served as a legislative assistant in the National Assembly of Nigeria.
Dayo was specially invited by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to a private reception at Buckingham Palace as a result of his contribution to Africa Diaspora Development, and he remains the only ever recipient of the Young PEWA (Person Earnestly Working for Africa) Award at the office of the Mayor of London.
He was also invited by the Obama Administration to the White House President’s Forum for Young African Leaders in Washington, DC.
He was selected by the United Nations to represent all delegates to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children on a special CNN Live Interview in 2002 and led the Nigerian Children delegation to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Joburg in 2002 and the World Water Forum in Japan in 2003.
He is currently the APC National Youth Leader.
Dayo is the best candidate for the job because of his vast international experience, exceptional antecedents, impressive profile, and excellent leadership demonstrated in the last 18 months as leader of the APC’s Youth Wing.
Adewole Kehinde is a public affairs analyst and can be reached at 08166240846.
