Speaking on Wednesday, the Founder and Lead Pastor of The Transforming Church, Rev. Sam Oye, on urged the Nigerian government and stakeholders to actively listen to the youth.
Rev Oye argued that it is important for the older generation of Nigerians to engage the youth in dialogue to foster a more inclusive governance model.
Oye disclosed that the reason many youths in the country have become restless and aggressive was because they have concluded that nobody is listening to them following years of repression.
The cleric disclosed this at a media parley in Abuja ahead of the church’s annual programme, ‘The 2024 Global Worship Experience,’ scheduled to be held on November 1.
His concerns were coming on the heels of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to hold a 30-day convocation of the National Youth Conference to address the worries of young people in the country.
The president gave the promise in a televised Independence Day broadcast.
Tinubu said the conference would be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of our population.
He said, “There is nothing wrong with the government being present to listen (at the conference) because I think the younger people have been on the listening side for years. The reason for the aggression and restlessness amongst our young people is that they feel nobody is listening to them.
“The young people in this country have always been on the side of keep quiet and listen to us. You can’t be in the minority making rules and policies for the majority. The time has come for the majority to have a voice in the policy that governs their lives.
“Our young people are not asking to take over Nigeria. The reason for the restlessness and the disrespect we are seeing is because of the repression and the silencing of our young people’s voices. The time has come to take off the leash and allow them to express how would they want Nigeria to be.”
The preacher explained the need to give youths a listening ear was also the reason the Church is putting together ‘The Encounter 2024’ initiative to create an environment where Nigerians across tribes and political divides converge for worship. He also underscored the role of faith-based organizations in supporting leaders through prayer rather than criticism.
