{"id":3709,"date":"2010-11-14T19:57:00","date_gmt":"2010-11-14T19:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3709"},"modified":"2010-11-14T19:57:00","modified_gmt":"2010-11-14T19:57:00","slug":"a-vote-for-the-youths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3709","title":{"rendered":"A Vote For The Youths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Crabbed age and youth cannot live together;<br>Youth is full of pleasance, age full of care;<br>Youth like the summer morn, age like winter weather;<br>Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 William Shakespeare (1564-1616)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Youth is full of sport, age&#8217;s breath is short; youth is nimble, age is lame; youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; youth is wild, and age is tame.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 William Shakespeare<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A significant stir is going on in Africa regarding the impact of age on the development of our nations. Induced mostly by the emergence, two years ago, of a youthful Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, the thinking presupposes that, in the management of nation, a young person is better than a grumpy old man whose bones and brains have grown tired and rusty. Obama is a reminder that the world\u2019s youths have hope of attaining the pinnacle of leadership, be it in corporate bodies or in the presidency of nations. This prospect was further reinforced by the election of another youth, David Cameron, as British prime minister in May, this year. Suddenly, a reawakening began to take place amongst Africa\u2019s youths, who have always been sidelined from leading their countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reason for this is the concern that Africa is the global hub of gerontocratic regimes, where old men (and a woman) rule like the emperors of old. Africans are used to having oldies as presidents or heads of government, most of whom are sit-tight dictators who regard their countries as exclusive fiefdoms. They brook no opposition, even when running their own versions of democracy. Respect for elders, even if they have overstayed their welcome and are dictatorial, corrupt or murderous, is the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, there is an overpowering urge to link Africa\u2019s underdevelopment to the age of its rulers. Of course, there are other factors why our continent is the most backward on earth, but that we also harbour the oldest rulers cannot be denied. They superintend the thieving going on and seem unable to move with the times. Their vision cannot respond to the demands of modern leadership. The world is changing fast, but Africa\u2019s despotic leaders are not, cannot and will not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I write, some statistics, which link Africa\u2019s underdevelopment to the age of its leaders, are circulating on the internet. They are a startling revelation of how old folks \u2013 the men of yesteryears \u2013 stradde the leadership of the continent while their counterparts in the First World have receded to the background to nurse their health and ponder the end-times. The statistics, entitled, \u201cWhy Africa is 25 Years Behind the Developed World&#8230;\u201d, are as follows:<br><strong><br>AFRICAN LEADERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe ) &#8211; 86<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Abdullahi Wade (Senegal) &#8211; 83 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Hosni Mubarak (Egypt ) &#8211; 82<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Paul Biya (Cameroon) &#8211; 77<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Bingu Wa Mutharika (Malawi) &#8211; 76<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberia ) &#8211; 75<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022H. Pohamba (Namibia ) &#8211; 74<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Rupiah Banda (Zambia) &#8211; 73<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) &#8211; 71<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Muammar Gaddafi (Libya) &#8211; 68<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Jacob Zuma (South Africa) &#8211; 68<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Average Age: &#8211; 75.6<br><br>Approximately &#8211; 76 years<br><br>THE FIRST WORLD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Abdullah G\u00fcl (Turkey ) &#8211; 60<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Angela Merkel (Germany ) &#8211; 56<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Nicolas Sarkozy (France) &#8211; 55<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Jos\u00e9 S\u00f3crates (Portugal) &#8211; 53<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Stephen Harper (Canada) &#8211; 51<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Julia Gillard (Australia) &#8211; 49<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Jos\u00e9 L. R. Zapatero (Spain) &#8211; 49<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Barack Obama (USA) &#8211; 48<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) &#8211; 45<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022David Cameron (UK) &#8211; 43<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Average Age: &#8211; 51.1<br><br>Approximately &#8211; 51 years<br><br>DIFFERENCE: 25 years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What this list tries to show, in simple terms, is that Africa, a Third World entity, has not developed because it is saddled with old men who lack the vibrancy to lead their nations in the modern age. At the end of the tabulation, a question was posed: \u201cGuys, how do we move forward with this old squad?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To answer this question, each African has to look at the situation in their own country and see what is really changing. In Nigeria, a sea change occured in 2007 when Umaru Yar\u2019Adua, 56, was made president at the end of the tenure of Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then 70. But Yar\u2019Adua\u2019s rule did not last as he succumbed to a debilitating illness and died this year. The current president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is a 53-year-old. According to the standard set by current African leadership ethos, he is still young, but judging by the standard of developed nations, he has passed the mark a little. And if he wins next year\u2019s election and rules for another four years, he would be 58 years old \u2013\u2013 much younger than Obasanjo when he was elected but still on the wizened side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"212\" height=\"236\" data-attachment-id=\"3713\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?attachment_id=3713\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bukola-saraki.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"212,236\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"bukola-saraki\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bukola-saraki.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/wip.ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bukola-saraki.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3713\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bukola Saraki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is heart-warming that there are, at least, two younger persons gunning for Nigeria\u2019s presidency today. Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State is 48 years old while the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, is 50. Both have a record of integrity. While Saraki has made great strides as gove KKKrnor, Ribadu has shown that it is possible to fight corruption in Africa. Apart from Jonathan, the leading candidates for the presidency, however, are not these two but three men of yesteryears: Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, 69; Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, 68, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, 64.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means that it will take a long while before the \u201cnew breed\u201d are able to upstage the old from the top post, unless, of course, Nigerian voters change the rules by electing a young person as president as their counterparts did in the U.S. and the U.K. Whatever the case, young people in Africa should begin to seek elective offices on their own merit. They should campaign for votes and not lean on the support of the so-called elders or godfathers. Any young person who is able to sway the multitude to his\/her side would make the elders fall in line. They should have the will to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The youths may not have the money to bribe the voters, but their will and goodwill would see them through. In 2007, at age 51, Pat Utomi campaigned vigorously for president on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Although he did not succeed, he showed that a confident and competent young person can seek the throne and perform creditably. That\u2019s what Obama and Cameron did and succeeded. So, why not an African?<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_3709\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3709\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 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src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Crabbed age and youth cannot live together;Youth is full of pleasance, age full of care;Youth like the summer morn, age like winter weather;Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare&#8221; \u2013 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) &#8220;Youth is full of sport, age&#8217;s breath is short; youth is nimble, age is lame; youth is hot and bold, age [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_3709\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3709\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 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2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Nuhu Ribadu","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-musings"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":14,"today_views":0},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Vote For The Youths - Ibrahim Sheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.net\/?p=3709\" \/>\n<meta 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