Enugu – The Zonal Director of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) South-East, Mr Ike Okere, has urged youths to first acquire a skill or professional competence before going into politics.
Okere gave the advice on Sunday in Enugu, during an Enugu Business and Politics Summit with the theme, “Mainstreaming Young Credible Individuals in Business and Politics as Panacea for Innovation and Progress’’.
The summit was organised for youths to mark the 37th birthday of Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, the Executive Director of Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advocacy (LEAD) Network.
Over 200 youths from all works of life within and outside Enugu metropolis attended the summit, where youths’ motivational speakers spoke on various issues around youths development and exploring opportunities.
Okere in a lead presentation said any youth aspiring for a political post must work very hard and get economic independence first before setting out.
According to him, youths must be prepared financially and ensure they can feed their families first from their economic independence and when they are done with politics, they cango back to their previous profession or skill.
In his words, “Politics is never a profession. It remains a service that lasts for a set time. But the skills or professional competence you acquire through education, is meant to last for as much as your life time and you continue to feed from it’’.
Another speaker, Mr Ekene Uzodimma, a renowned young farmer, urged youths to take advantage of agriculture and its huge profit potentials.
“Today, agric produce sells more and we have better pricing and better knowledge on its preservation.
“So, I do not see much holding youths back from going into agricultural full time,’’ Uzodimma said.
Later, Okenwa explained that the summit was meant to create that consciousness among young people that they are not too young to take up responsibility and move beyond the musical and entertainment space.
He said there was a need for young people to go into business and politics, where young people are largely excluded.
Okenwa, who is a youth mentor and motivator, quipped, “We want them to know that they too can become successful businessmen or women as well as a successful politician too.
“However, there is a need for them to build credibility and discipline before the public will bank on them to give them sensitive and serious responsibilities such as business and political posts’’.
