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The Hidden Truth & Challenges of Student Politics in Nigerian Universities
Dec 30, 2022
This video is a complete breakdown of student politics in Nigerian universities. You will learn the truth and challenges of being a student leader in Nigeria. I hope you find this video helpful. Let me know in the comment if you have any questions or need further clarification. Helpful Links * Nigerian University Students Advice for Freshers: https://youtu.be/BOmH0_wjDbM * How Much University Students Spend on Food - https://youtu.be/cXbS0rpMrdk * Studying Law in Nigeria: https://youtu.be/mwc9LKzIR_s * How to Stay Awake to Study at Night - https://youtu.be/5k4lqce_n4M * Student Food Timetable - https://studentship.com.ng/nigerian-student-food-timetable/
View Video Transcript
0:00
I was prepared for leadership, but no politics
0:02
No, I do have regrets going into politics. I think it's a choice I'll go over and over again
0:14
Hi, guys. Welcome back to the Studentship YouTube channel. If you're new year, make sure you click on the subscribe button
0:21
In today's video, we're talking about student life and politics. So I'm with a guest here, and we are going to discuss about policies in the university
0:30
Can we meet you? Okay, my name is Chama Khan Dulue. A student of medical laboratory science is 400 level
0:35
Okay, nice to meet you. My pleasure. Do you currently have any position as a student
0:40
Yes, I'm the current SUG director of games. Okay. First of all, let me go to your course of study
0:46
What does it feel like to study medical laboratory science university? It's been a smooth and rough journey so far. Okay
0:55
It has been good. I wouldn't say it has been so burdensome
0:58
That was really what I wanted to study, do. Okay. But I think I'm comfortable where I am at the moment
1:05
Okay. So medical laboratory science is a professional course in the College of Medicine
1:10
So how is it possible for you to combine school qualities and a professional course altogether
1:16
Well, it's all about having to know how effective you can be as a human being
1:20
Not everybody can multitask. Some people don't even believe in multitasking. But I think it's a survivor skill that everybody should know how to do to an extent
1:28
And it's also important to know what you can carry, well, your capacity as a person
1:34
You might be able to go for a departmental position, but not an SDG position
1:38
So you used to know how the limit of your multitasking. So for me, I'm someone that it takes me a little time
1:45
to achieve many things or big things, so to say. So I just know what works for me
1:50
You know that I'm more effective at night. Channel most activities at night. Rest well during the day
1:56
Schedule my day. I schedule my day a lot. I think it has helped me really as a student politician
2:01
So you are saying in a nutshell that it is possible to be a student politician, be involved in student unionism and also do well
2:08
So one of the reasons why many students do not involve themselves in polities is because of the fear of failure
2:15
Because the year of students who get involved in polities and they fail out of school
2:19
So can you tell us how has been your experience so far? Has it had a negative impact on your academics
2:25
Of course. I think it's very much unavoidable not to have some
2:30
you know Yeah yeah academically When you are into politics Because it will distract you
2:37
If for nothing You'll be missing some lectures To attend meetings There are times that I've had exam
2:42
Today and the previous day I'm travelling for one thing or the other
2:46
There are sometimes Even on the day of exam I have to travel to meet up with one thing or the other
2:50
I have a schedule That is not a normal student schedule Okay
2:54
You understand I have other things to do programs to attend or to host meetings and all of that
3:01
So fear of failure is, it's there. But it depends on how you've understood yourself as a student
3:08
not even as a politician, as a student, knowing that you have something you should meet
3:12
No matter what you are doing, our primary purpose is academics. So every other thing should be secondary
3:17
and you should know how to apportion time to your academics. So I want to ask
3:21
have you always been involved in politics life? you had that passion for student unionism
3:27
or it was something you developed in your first year? I developed it in my first year
3:32
Initially, I hated politics. I felt it was dirty. But at some point I realized that politics in itself is not dirty
3:39
Human beings are dirty. So I came to in touch with some people
3:44
that shaped my mindset about politics. And I said the thing is as, this is a way I can make impact
3:49
This is where I can render service to humanity. And naturally, I'm someone that is after impact
3:54
Whether I'm in a leadership position or not, I just like serving people naturally
3:58
So when I got the better picture of it, I picked interest
4:02
And so far, it has been a smooth journey. And I thank God I got interested, because it has helped me to find a part of me
4:09
that I feel that I should find, actually. So talking about dittiness and all of that
4:15
you know, they say politics is not a place really express yourself. You just have to fit in because there are cases
4:21
where students who want to get involved in policies and even the political sphere in the country
4:27
By the time you get in today, you meet strongholds, and they'll tell you you have to do this
4:31
where you stay in this position, you have to do this. So what has been your experience so far
4:35
Do you think it's a place you've been able to express yourself without any limitation
4:40
Well, I would say politics is not a place you can express yourself fully
4:44
Okay. You can express yourself at all. You can express your values. I mean, a student union where people feel that
4:50
no studio union leader has co-values. But it's a lie I have shown mine personally in different aspects and in different times, you know
4:59
I may not be able to always be rigid, yes, that's one thing I would say
5:04
There are sometimes you have to be flexible. You know, one thing about compromises. Compromise is not about you trying to maybe not work with others
5:15
or you're trying to be all about yourself and what you stand for
5:19
Sometimes you compromise to accommodate other people for very good reasons. Not like, okay, for instance, I handle the Mel Skrude team
5:27
We have set out rules. If you miss a match, if you miss training, we will not play the match
5:32
But there are sometimes that you have to just compromise that particular rule to accommodate a player that you know that can score for the team
5:38
Okay, yeah. Yeah, so there are sometimes that compromise is necessary. It might not be constitutional, but it's conventional
5:44
And I think that I've not been able to express myself fully
5:48
but I think I've established my stand before students and fellow senior university
5:53
Okay, so you're the director of sports. Yes. So why did you actually go for director of sports
5:58
I've been a sportswoman for 11 years in my life. Okay. It's something that flows naturally out of me
6:05
I've been a sports person, a sports organizer. I've been captains of more than six teams in my life from secondary school
6:12
That's nice. Yeah, so coming here, I don't just wake up and say, okay, let me go for a position
6:19
I check out my potential that will help this position for me to actually
6:23
keep more things in this position. So I think I went for Directors of Games because it's something
6:28
I'm very passionate about games and seeing games flourish in every environment
6:33
So it's driven by passion. What did you encounter any limitation while you were trying to achieve this position
6:39
Because most of the time, Nighter of Games is usually reserved for male students
6:43
You have the male students at the director of games, probably assistant to females. So how are we able to achieve this fit
6:49
Well, it's all about one thing about student politics. If you are popular or you have money, you win
6:57
So I really made the name for myself. It's not the first position I'm occupying in school
7:02
From the first position, I was able to build relationship. It fosters more relationship
7:08
If you have good relationship with people, you easily win any election. Okay. So it might be selection for guys, but if the girl has the willpower
7:17
and has what it takes to win an election, the guy might not survive it, too
7:22
It's not a gender thing. It's not about your capacity. As a person, exactly
7:26
The difference you can have. Exactly. As a person, not about gender. You can be a gay and still not have that
7:32
Okay. So for someone that wants to get involved in school politics, what is the first step to take
7:37
The first step, I think, is intentionality. You have to be intentional about how you talk to people
7:42
Okay. I'm not a fan of faking it till you make it. Okay, right
7:46
Being nice. Yeah, being intentionally being nice. Yeah, excessively nice. Yeah. that I don't think you shake the hands of everybody in school that works it's not
7:57
about to shake hands we do that a lot you should need checking hands to win
8:01
election so I would say that I would say that the first step you should be intentional about relationships Relationship has helped me Even outside politics relationships are very necessary to prosper in life
8:16
So it's basically, if you start early to build a relationship. Is it from fourth year
8:20
Yes, of course. I'll start from your class. Try to get to know people in your class. Be intentional
8:24
I reach out to people. What if I'm trying to start politics maybe in my third year
8:28
How possible is that? I've not really been engaged with people. It's not a late time
8:32
You can still be intentional. The only thing is that. People will have that mindset of, you now want to contest or something, you're talking to me
8:38
You will see that a lot. But you want to get involved, so you do what it takes
8:42
And there are some misconceptions students might have. Other students might have about those that are involved in school policies
8:47
Like maybe these people, they are, you know, sometimes during their campaign, you see them around, you see them everywhere
8:53
But then when they get into positions, they're unavailable. There are also cases where you feel like these people, they take money from the student polls and all of that
9:03
Like the embezzlement. The embezzlement. So have you had any experience with such kind of misconception
9:10
Well, for now, I've not. I've had very, very few people tell me
9:15
I'm going to scarce. Especially maybe two, three weeks after election. I'm trying to rest because it was a very hectic period
9:22
Yeah, but afterwards, I would say that accessibility in leadership is something
9:28
a good leader. If you want to be a good leader, you must be intentional about that. Sometimes it's not even, you don't even, you don't even
9:33
intentionally hide. Because of a lot of things you have to meet up with
9:37
There are sometimes I might show up in class and my classmates will just be like, ah, Makar
9:41
you've not been around. But I have a lot of things I've been trying to meet up with
9:45
So, but choosing to be accessible, choosing to still visit your friends, to still call people
9:49
reach out to people, charge people up. Even talk in your WhatsApp group
9:53
you say, choice, something you say, I want to do this. Yeah, it's a sign
9:57
of humility towards people. Yeah. So I feel the misconceptions are there, the unaccessibility, embezzlement
10:05
Embezzlement is they have not had any such thing to my name. Yes, I've not had any such thing
10:10
And by the grace of God, I will not have to the end of my office. It's something you should be intentional about
10:15
First of all, you understand that politics is serious and not a sort of income
10:19
It's not even a career. Politics is not a career. What do you mean that is not a career
10:24
Politics is not something you just start doing and say, this is what I do for a living
10:29
Okay, it's like a transition. You can see it's money. Yes. Exactly. I'm proud of Tomi said something that if you stay in governance for eight years
10:38
he was talking to people outside politics, of course, if you stay in governance for eight years
10:42
and you don't choose to stay off, to see after your business and your family, you're paralyzed to
10:48
Nigerians. You understand? So it's not a career, and embezzlement is something that
10:55
I would say, it's unavoidable with children in your own age. So sometimes some students
10:58
might have this misconception that these school politicians, they'll promise us, this and that. By the time they get into that position, they will not be able to achieve
11:07
such promises. So do you think when you get involved in student unionism, there are certain
11:13
limitations in my encounter as a student leader? Well, limitations are there. One of the issues
11:19
we are having some SDGs in Southeast here, I would say Southeast basically, is the fact
11:25
that union leaders don't have access to their own resources. For me, it's not ideal
11:33
It's not ideal because you can't say, you want to, for, I for one now, I want to roast SUG League
11:39
Okay. I have to write to the school to give me money to host the league. It doesn't make sense
11:43
If you go to some, maybe in Northern University, the students pay their SUG levies manually
11:48
or straight to SUG accounts. Well, here, it is added to the school
11:52
The only thing that is just to prevent any embezzlement of funds by issues officials
11:56
No, we have the House of Representatives. Yeah. The House of Representatives in the two different arms of government, their work is
12:03
checks and balances. Yes. You know, so the legislature is monitoring the judiciary
12:07
The judiciary is monitoring the executives. Every government is checkmating themselves to avoid the excesses
12:15
So the ideal thing is if the, let's say, Director of Health
12:19
we don't have one here, but the Director of Health wants to host medical outreach. He drafts a budget of
12:25
let's say, 400,000, an example, and says, okay, that I want to use this
12:31
and do medical outreach. He brings him to the house. The house, just like they do in the State House of Assembly of Federal House of Wurbs
12:39
they stay there and they ratify the budgets. They try to cut down
12:44
There are some places you'll write 10,000, but some house members know that that is 5,000. They'll reduce it in the house
12:49
Maybe at the end of the day, the budget might come down to 300,000. And you're sure that the person is not exceeding whatever the person needs to work with
12:56
Yes. So if it's left for the school to always give us resources
13:00
It doesn't really help us to express because we now find out that sometimes
13:06
suddenly that we're trying to maybe have a good face with the administration
13:11
They are trying to have a good face with the administration that sometimes they might not maybe fully protect the interests of the students
13:18
because of some compromise or sentiments or the other. So it doesn't really give them
13:23
Are you saying this is one of a possible reasons for some of the limitations, students
13:28
That's the thing. It's the basic. next question is, is student unionism, is it lucrative? Like, as a student, I want to
13:35
serve and also make money. So can I get involved in politics and make some money for
13:41
myself? Well, it's very, very wrong to get into school politics with that mindset
13:46
Okay. You know, this is a place, not even school politics, politics generally. As I said initially
13:51
politics is service. If you are going into position, I think your primary intention
13:56
should be to serve people, to serve humanity. Okay. You know, one thing I know about services is that service is the servants
14:05
Okay. You understand? When you are serving, you get to hone your skills
14:09
You get to develop as a human being. It's the surface platform for personal development
14:15
All right. So you get to serve. One thing about serving for free is that after you serve for free
14:23
eventually you'll serve for a pay. Okay. You know, it's a step. There are some connections that I might make as S-UG direct
14:29
of games. That when I'm done with school, I might have like three different jobs waiting for me
14:33
Okay. All right. So it's something that we should actually, I think it's very, very necessary for us too
14:39
You might get to see something. Incentives? Yeah, incentives. We have allowances, you know, which sometimes comes at the end of the government
14:48
It's not hidden. It's not hidden. So, and the money is not really that much
14:54
But in case of maybe they give you money to use something, you decided to use the money to buy a car
14:59
seen that a lot. Yes, it happens in schools. Yes, of course. So you use the money to buy a car, and at the end of the day
15:07
it's just about the car. Like, the car can come in many other legit ways, apart from school politics
15:15
So I feel we should be more intentional about it. We are still young, I mean, by 20s, early 20s
15:20
And I think I should be very much particular about my reputation at this age
15:23
You know, the experiences you gain, the connections. Exactly. And the reputation I get to preserve here is what helps me
15:29
in future, if ever I want to go into politics in future, or even outside politics
15:33
Okay. Yeah, so I think it's very necessary. So since you're a student and you're involved in student politics
15:39
they'll have like a side also because someone who is also a servant might be interested in making money for himself
15:45
Okay. You know, based on the realities of the 21st century. Okay
15:50
The truth is that I do not advocate for students who have no sort of income to contest for election
15:55
Okay. Number one, they get to borrow. And for someone who is borrowed to run for an office
15:59
the person already has ulterior motives. He's hoping to make the money back from the office he or she's aspiring for to be able to pay the debt
16:06
Yes, of course. So I do not, I advocate for, if you don't have money to contest for election, do not run
16:12
Whether you are capable or not. What about sponsorship Like if you get someone that doesn support If you get someone that buys into your vision that likes you as a person maybe a relative or a friend who is willing to sponsor you whether you lose or you win
16:24
without expecting anything in return, go ahead and contest. Okay. But one thing about having a sort of income, something doing is that if you're able to manage a business
16:34
if you're not able to manage a business, how will you manage people? If you're unable to keep a job or keep a sort of income, how will you be able to
16:42
This is not material resources. These things are material resources. So if you're not able to manage material resources
16:46
how will you be managed, how will you be able to manage human resources? So all those things count
16:51
How you're able to keep a business? For how long we're able to keep a particular business
16:55
So for me, I have a source of income. I was on with your student
17:00
unionism, and you're okay? Of course. But currently, I am a social media manager
17:05
I do digital marketing. I'm into tech public relations. I can effectively do this with your student
17:11
unionism and marketing? The work is a free one. It gives me a chance to still need my life
17:15
It's very pleasant. Yes. My next question is, what is your most memorable experience so far as a student politician
17:23
My most memorable experience is getting recognized by a politician in a Nogu state
17:29
The man, Nonsonaman, is my boss, my leader and my principal. I knew him before I was going for this position
17:35
So when I won, you know, we're just keeping in touch once in a while. Okay. You didn't encounter any challenge while we were campaigning, maybe doing some campaigns
17:42
It's really in terms of finance, you know, trying to get people together. Was there any... Of course, I had any politician that went to election
17:48
would have issue with finance. Okay. No matter how rich you are, a student politician, let me restrict you to that
17:54
Okay, yes. You will get to need money to do some things
17:58
Students will bill you. Students will tell you, I buy me food, unless I want to vote for you and all of that
18:03
In as much as there are some people I try to talk to, and I tell them, these little things are the things that make you sell your vote
18:09
Okay. If you want me to buy you food or to be... give you money for you to vote for me
18:14
If I enter that office, you don't have any right to demand for me to do my job
18:19
Because I've paid you off. That's just what it is. So what you exchange for your vote
18:24
is not what I have to offer as a leader, but what I gave you at that particular time
18:30
That's what made you vote for me, not because you saw any potential in me. So if I get not to do well in DOG
18:34
if others drag me, you don't have any right to talk. Yes. So I got many people to actually understand that
18:40
I spent less. I spent well less than. a normal citizen position should spend
18:44
because I spent time building relationships with people showing loyalty to my seniors
18:50
and respect you know and then people wanted to sponsor me I accepted some
18:57
I rejected some very few my accepted donations from my friends close friends
19:02
appropriate some of that yes yeah but there are some that I intentionally
19:06
rejected because I knew there are children motives attached to it have you had any regrets so far
19:11
or something you wish, if I knew, I wouldn't have involved myself in politics
19:16
Like any regrets? No, I don't have regrets going into politics. I think it's a choice I'll make over and over again
19:21
The experience is worth it. I've gotten dragged by students, you know
19:27
or maybe the SDUG generally dragged, and, you know, I've been there to maybe defend or something
19:32
and they get to drag me with my defense. But I think I've learned how to accept criticism here
19:38
As a human being and as a leader. It's important. It's very, very, very. important for us to adjust and make amends, you know, to our personal life and stuff in life
19:48
You know, I have no regret going into politics. It's a choice I'll make over and over again
19:53
Okay. I've learned patience. I've learned service. I've learned accepting criticism, like I said
20:01
I've learned, I've got an experience that I know. I don't think there's any project covering at least 1,000 people or 2,000 people that I want to be able to handle
20:11
Okay. If you give me the work as a project manager, because of the experience I've gotten in student unionism
20:16
So I have no regrets. I might have some things I wish I learned earlier, but not regret
20:21
I'm not regretting anything. What has been your biggest challenge so far as a student politician
20:27
Well, as a student politician, one of the things that I feel bad about is that I was prepared for leadership, but no politics
20:35
Okay. Like from the outset, I was prepared to serve people, to do good, to render
20:41
service to humanity, to, you know, to revitalize sports in the University of Nigeria and
20:49
campus as the director of games. I had very wonderful dreams. I had more than 10 outlined plans
20:55
projects I wanted to do for University of Nigeria. But along the line, I noticed that we play
21:03
politics more than we do leadership. And it's a very, very sad thing, knowing that you are working
21:10
with people who care very less about your vision and your ideas
21:15
you know so I wasn't prepared for the entire politics the entire
21:18
stampeding others to succeed like the bottleneck involves in these procedures exactly you know you get to work with people
21:25
that they feel that if you are rising they cannot rise so they need to bring you down for them
21:30
to be able which is not true all of us can rise if we choose to you know they just feel that if they stampede you
21:36
they can go through in their own and I wasn't prepared for the entire
21:40
backstabbing. Okay. The entire, a lot of shir-shitty things in politics. Yeah, bad experiences
21:49
But then even with all of these, it's still possible to stand firm to your vision
21:53
Of course. The thing is, I'm learning a lot of things on the job. Yes, I'm learning how to
21:57
Because one of the things, one of the challenges as well is that I came into office
22:01
with a lot of emotions as a woman. Yeah. Women have their emotions
22:05
They are very vulnerable when it comes to their emotions. So it's one of the mistakes I made
22:09
You keep your emotions in those being in white, in the white context of office. You don't give your emotions in terms of being
22:14
compassionate and being empathetic towards the people you're serving. That's a lot different
22:19
But when it comes to emotions based on the propaganda will come up. People will say you stole money
22:24
People will say that you're embezzled, diso, people will say you do not do anything. Even when you know how much you suffer
22:30
to even do the small you did. So all those things, if you come in with a lot of emotions
22:35
yes, in this office I've cried because of some persons that try to play politics on me
22:40
You know when people are planning to play politics with you, on you, not even with you, on you when you didn't do anything bad to them
22:46
You have no bad intention against them. But they just feel you're a threat to them. Your resistance
22:52
Your existence, your vision. What you represent is a threat to them. So they just want to bring you down
22:57
So, but I think if I should go for any other position in my life
23:01
I'll keep my emotions in the dustbin before coming into that position. And then I'll be more, I think I'm, I've learned a lot of things about the politics now
23:10
I don't think I'll be that played anymore. I'm learning a lot
23:14
What is the difference between leadership and politics? Well, that's a lot
23:18
That's a wide scope. Leadership is the ability to impact people. Okay
23:27
Leadership is influence and relationship. These two things are the two bedrocks of leadership
23:32
Politics on the other side is about making policies, regulations negotiation
23:44
you know trying to negotiate or it's all about the things that sometimes
23:52
most times politics is not dirty you know it's very good to negotiate
23:56
on an agreement you know it's very good to you know when we say the politics
24:03
it's the bad things people do in the politics I'm referring to not necessarily
24:07
Politics on its own is good. It's good. The negotiation, the bargain, yes, bargain will come in
24:14
The necessary compromise is there. The unnecessary compromise is also the compromise in general, whether the good or the bad is there
24:22
A lot of things you know empty threats from people for maybe people that feel that are higher than you that you have to use your wisdom to pass through
24:33
To navigate through. Exactly, to navigate through. Exactly. So politics is deeper and more complex than leadership
24:42
Is it possible to be a leader and not a politician? It's unsafe to be a leader who doesn't know how to play politics
24:49
It's very unsafe because you'll be cheated in a lot of things. not be able to fully express yourself, just like we are talking
24:58
It's not possible to fully express yourself, but you might not even be able to express yourself at all
25:03
because you don't even know where to express firmness. You know, being able to play politics is knowing how to say no to some things
25:10
that you know that this person is trying to cheat you. And you'll be able to say no and stand firm and use your wisdom
25:16
to come up with ideas on what to do to actually stop this person from stopping you
25:21
you know, trying to build necessarily build. relationships that can help you all those things are the politics involved like politics we give
25:26
you that platform like as a leader politics you give you that platform to perform to even go beyond
25:31
the bar to you know to do better policy is what guy is exactly it's what gross also if you're
25:37
a leader you have to be in politics so that you can be among those that enacts those of course
25:42
unless you want to be at the receiving end which is very unsafe that's why i said is unsafe as a leader
25:47
so every every every good leader is is at least every good leader is is at a lot of
25:52
least is average in politics, at least. If you are going too far, you might end up into the bad one
25:59
So I think you should know how to just come up with things. Apart aside, the fact that you want to do this, you want to do that
26:05
If you are in a fix, how do you come out of that particular fix
26:09
It's the politics there. So you should be able to do that to succeed as a leader
26:13
Is anyone that inspires you as a politician? One of the persons I like, women, talking about women, I think I look up to women, politicians a lot
26:22
because I feel they have a lot of guts to get to where they are. Nggo Kongji Wala, she inspires me
26:28
I listen to her a lot. And then, Arama Ote, she was once the chairman of Security Exchange Commission, SEC
26:36
And watching her sometimes really good. I just feel like this one
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And she likes football like I do too. So it's something that I feel it's a point of connection
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So these two people, they inspire me. Then my boss, Nonsonamani, you know
26:52
has really taught me a lot. He always makes me to think very highly of myself
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Not highly of myself, it does of being proud. He makes me to think greater things
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Like he pushes me beyond what I am now. I might be getting something wrong
27:08
Sanon also will come and be like, so, Amaka, if I give you Commissioner for Sports now as the governor of Enugu State
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this is how you make a mess of it. I will laugh about it, but it makes me to think
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ah, you can actually get here. You know, at some point, if you keep at these and you keep sure
27:22
playing up, keep being consistent to what you are doing regarding sports. In the next
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five to seven years, even before I clock 30, I might be there. So, generally, what advice you are for someone
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that wants to get involved in politics? Well, my advice for someone
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that wants to get in politics, as a student, should be, first of all, engage in
27:42
personal development, read books, go on YouTube, watch videos on leadership. I've watched
27:47
I don't want to brag, but I've watched at least more than 500 videos on leadership
27:52
okay so i studied from 2020 and as far as the example this example at least i watch a
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video on leadership every day okay and i read books i've read a lot of books on leadership
28:03
yeah so i can even recommend things like um not just leadership personal development
28:08
atomic habits um how to win friends and influence people that's very important um 21
28:13
repeatable laws of leadership okay five levels of leadership a lot of books there are a lot of
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I recommend John Maxwell and Brian Tracy. They are very, very good people
28:24
So working at the political sphere in Nigeria, what do you think we've not gotten right so far
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I think what? Something we've not got to right in the political space
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that Africans, Africans, okay, let me bring it down. Nigerians, we forget things a lot
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You know, we don't read. And we tend to repeat the same mistakes over and over
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You know, I'm talking about from election periods now. We tend to elect people that, obviously, you know this person, in your heart, you know, that this person is not even..
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Or your sentiments. Sentiments, you know. It's from my place. It's from my place
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You know, it's actually keeping us backwards in politics. That's not ideal
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In the 21st century, P.L.O. Lumumba said that the politics of the 21st century is a competition of ideas
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Yes. You know, a competition of fresh ideas. And he said that one of the things, one of our enemies, or one of the things we should tackle in 21st century
29:19
century politics is the fact that we need to demystify politics. We need to bring down
29:25
politics that a layman can understand what exactly is going on. How does my own dividends
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of democracy come to me as an individual? As a citizen of this place, of this particular
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country, as a student of University of Nigeria, how does my own dividends of democracy
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come to me? Not as far there are people that handle it, or politics is too deep. You know
29:45
people use that in a lot. I refuse to believe it, even as much as it might be deep
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We keep making it look like it's left for some people. And other people are just watch us
29:54
They just come and then keep watching for four years. One of things I feel we should understand is that we need to ask questions about people contesting propositions
30:03
and stop being unnecessarily sentimental. It has hurt us for, we are how old now as Nigeria, you know
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We are able to get it right at this age. We're a generation coming up, springing up, and we believe that we can get some things right
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in terms of selecting our leaders. And in the politics involved, it's very important. we select good leaders. They can make better policies, you know
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So if you are to become the president of Nigeria someday, what would you do differently
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Well, as a president of Nigeria, I think one of the things we should actually do is to create a system of monitoring
30:41
Because if you have sat to watch the parliament, the House of Reps, let's say the Federal House of Rebs
30:47
And you get to see some of their budgets, how they ratify budget, how they, you know, do their stuff
30:56
You get to see that a lot of things actually get approved in the house. A lot of projects
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Maybe they say they want to do roads, federal roads. I know a particular road in Nigeria that they've been approving budgets for it every year
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But yet it is still not done. So I feel what we need is not, I think the house approves more than it's done
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We need accountability. We need accountability. So as a president of Nigeria, you should set up a system
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whereby the local government every month, you people receive 100 million. What is that 100 million used for
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Okay. At the end of the month, you should be able to account for it
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If you're able to account for it, you'll be suspended from the office till you get a proper account
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And it's not the aspect of you have contact, you can make calls, and they get you back into the position
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Strict measures that will be followed that this 100% immunity is not even a good idea for me
31:52
Giving it has 100% immunity that it's okay too. But I feel that it gives them so much power
32:00
Yeah, leverage to embezzar phones and all. So accountability is zero. And if we can establish accountability in governance in Nigeria
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50% of our problem is solved. Okay. You're sure, 70% of our problem is solved
32:15
All right, thank you very much. So that will be all for this episode. It's nice to have you here
32:20
Thank you, sir. So guys, you've heard that if we intend to go into politics, you will find this video every
32:26
So make sure you like and subscribe to this channel. For now, it's bye-bye
32:30
Bye
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