Nigerian youths have been advised to consistently demand their rights from elected officials across different tiers of government. Speaking in his office at Memphis City Hall, Memphis, Tennessee, the City Council Vice Chairperson and founder, Memphis Academy for Civic Engagement (MACE), J.B. Smiley Jr, said the only way to get good governance and drive desired change is activism. But it must be coupled with a listening legislative body.
     
According to him, “good legislation and activism go hand in hand. In our situation, here, activists pushed for change and we have a legislative body that understood the roles and responsibilities owed the people. A good legislative body shouldn’t be partisan and must realise that they are there to serve the people. 
   
“I always say, our role is such that we must bend to the people’s will. If the people say they want a particular thing, it’s my job to make it happen. We needed better transparency, stiffer penalties, and the requirement that all police officers must use body cam, and we pushed for that to happen, even though it was not easy.”

 He, therefore, advised Nigerian youths not to give up in demanding their rights, saying, with time, one or two elected officials will join the movement and do the right thing.
   
The vice chairperson noted that activism is necessary to bring about change, which many people may not want. “Just like in Nigeria, we, in Memphis, have been dealing with the problem of police brutality. There is the now widely circulated picture/video of a young man going to his parents’ house, who was stopped by police officers, pulled out from his vehicle and brutally beaten in the streets. 
   
“Sadly, he lost his life. But we all saw what happened after. People rose for him and fought against the system, which they knew to be unjust. People showed up and pushed for change.”
   
 He revealed that when he sought to run for office to address challenges in his district, strong political godfathers that wanted to keep young people away from politics rose to fight him. But he remained undeterred, taking to the streets, knocking from door to door in campaign, and winning eventually.
   
“Not enough young people know about government and are even interested in participating. Elected officers have a short period of time to do good for the people. And the best way to do good is to invest heavily in people, and not just financially alone. 
   
“We don’t train younger people to take over from older ones. But training youths and putting them on the path to leadership is the only way to create a pipeline for success. Leadership is tough and you need the best people around you. Government’s primary role is to provide and serve the people, and if this is not being done, that government has failed,” he said.
    
Dean, MACE, Tajuan Stout Mitchell, said no city can grow if young talents are not nurtured. He regretted that most leaders create a leadership gap, causing young people not to aspire to service.  “We must train young adults to lead, else our cities will perish,” he warned.
     
Associate dean, MACE, Sherica Hymes, worried about youth voter apathy and political engagement. She said it was sad that civic engagement has become muted over the years and many young people don’t know what their rights are, and how to get involved. 
   
She revealed that the academy is a seven-week programme that teaches everything, including how to track elected officials, see how public money is spent, make suggestions and challenge elected officials, getting engaged and involved politically, and public safety. 
    
 MACE alumna, Laquita Stokes, said the programme helped her become more aware of how politics is run and how to build relationships. She said it is easy to tell when people are in a position of power for the wrong reasons. She urged young people to not just vote them out but run for office themselves on the back of integrity and correct ills they see around them.